Scientists Have Invented a Machine That Never Stops Making Wine

While science helps us slowly grasp why we drink too much, it could also be contributing to making us drink more.

"Nonstop wine" might sound like a weeknight promotion at a strip-mall cougar bar, but it's not—it's something far more promising and cutting edge. Iowa State University professor and self-professed "wine connoisseur" Daniel Attinger has developed what he calls a "micro winery" which can continuously ferment and produce wine at the rate of one milliliter per hour.

But the point of the machine, much to the chagrin of many who read this headline, is not to get you drunk, but, rather, to help winemakers get a better understanding of the fermentation process and fine tune it for climates around the world.

"Let's say a winemaker in the Lavaux region of Switzerland finds that a certain type of yeast or a certain fermentation temperature leads to an overly bitter wine. We could quickly test alternatives," Attinger said in a press release. "At a traditional winery, it takes weeks to separate the yeast from the wine, because they're mixed together. That's not a problem here."

By using very small quantities of liquid and variable levels of heat, the micro winery can produce wine in an hour, while alcoholic fermentation usually takes between seven and 21 days and requires a much larger volume of liquid. In doing so, Attinger's invention will allow winemakers to better navigate the hundreds of yeasts available commercially around the world.

Interestingly, climate change was a major impetus for creating the nonstop wine machine. "Climate change is having an impact on the quality of grape crops around the world," Attinger explained. "Due to the heat, some crops ripen too quickly, the harvest takes place sooner and the wines end up with a higher alcohol content or a different taste. We need to find ways to analyze and adapt how the wine is made."

But the finished product of Attinger's creation is still a drinkable, fully fermented wine, which begs the larger question of whether the micro winery could be used for domestic purposes, like whipping up a few milliliters of fresh wine to impress your friends.

"Why not?" Philippe Renaud, a scientist involved with the micro winery joked. But the finished product is not likely to be worth it. "That's more of a gimmick. It uses a simplified process and the result is currently not as good as normal wine."

So unless you're extremely patient and don't care for quality, the nonstop wine stream machine is probably not for you. But who knows what the future of infinite wine holds?