A bit of miraculous news to those aspiring wine makers: a couple of wine industry veterans have created the world’s first at-home wine machine. The gadget, dubbed the Miracle Machine, converts water with a few added ingredients into a smooth-tasting bottle of wine. The creators hope to start selling the device soon, enabling consumers to turn water into wine.

The two entrepreneurs responsible for the Miracle Machine, Kevin Boyer and Philip James, say the idea came to them one night over, what else, a bottle of wine or two. Jokingly, Boyer admits “Jesus made water into wine; with all the technology we have available today why can’t we do the same?” Boyer currently runs Napa Valley Winery, while James created Customvine, a company that lets people customize and create personalized wine labels.

Adds Boyer, “We joked about the wine to water miracle and how with today’s technology it would not only be possible, but likely.” The result is a machine that makes wine from a low amount of heat and a touch of computer programming. According to the company’s website, the secret to the Miracle Machine is a small chamber that uses heaters, transducers, sensors to create a controlled environment for the wine to be fermented.

Users of the Miracle Machine will add water and a packet of ingredients that correspond to the varietal of wine chosen. Boyer and James note that a kit will only cost owners of the device a few dollars, and they plan to develop a wine club-type membership, which would involve packets being mailed to subscribers for around $10 a month. They also claim the membership will satisfy, with the equivalent of a few bottles of wine delivered each month.

There are a variety of packets the duo have developed. The first six varietals to be offered are an aged Tuscan blend, a Pinot Noir from Oregon, a Napa Valley Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc out of Sonoma, and each a red and white from Burgundy, with plans to develop more after product launch. In addition to these specific wine packets, users can go to the company’s website and purchase the required grape concentrate and yeast needed to make a full bottle of wine.

An app for most smartphones will be released with the Miracle Machine, and the process goes like this: users purchase the required ingredients and packet corresponding to the desired type of wine, add water, connect via bluetooth and the app to the machine. Then, make a few selections and let the app alert you of the temperature and alcohol content. After the machine’s air diffuser aerates the wine, and a transducer speeds up the wine’s development, your app will alert you that it is complete. The estimated time, depending on what users are making, will take about three days.

“We see this as a new era of winemaking that will literally change the industry forever,” said Boyer. The tabletop device is anticipated to be funded by a kickstarter campaign for the first few hundred machines. Each machine will cost around $499. Some may see that as a hefty price, but James digresses: “We’ve created a technology that will allow every to create these bottles of wine in your own home that rival some of the best wines on the planet at a fraction of the cost in a hundredth of the time it would usually take.” Look for sale of the machine on Amazon and the company’s website.

By Nathan Rohenkohl

Sources:

LA Times

ABC News

IBN Live

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