Most of us who enjoy wines are unfamiliar with the connoisseurs’ language of “raspberry notes”, “elderflower aftertastes”, “prune flourishes” etc. There are of course, annoying snobs out there who pretend to know, but those of us who truly appreciate wine will understand simpler language like “full bodied” vs “light bodied”, “dry” vs “sweet”.

Just launched by a British company called Cambridge Consultants a couple of weeks ago, is a machine called the Vinfusion. What this machine does, is to store 20 wines to represent “primary tastes”. Amongst these “raw” ingredients, you may find a pinot noir, a shiraz, a muscat, a chardonnay and so on. To create your own blend, you would just need to select a couple of layman characteristics like sweetness and body. The machine blends the wine according to your specifications.

If logic prevails, this would prove an excellent system that promotes and simplifies wine-drinking. However, a lot of the enjoyment of this luxury item comes not just from the taste of the wine, but also from the “class” and elegance of the packaging. Taking all the mystery and exclusiveness out of it may cause it to lose its market value within the ranks of the affluent.