Professor creates ‘non-stop wine machine'

Professor Daniel Attinger is now working with a team of scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne in Switzerland to develop the non-stop wine machine.

His ‘micro winery on a chip’ is capable of continuously producing wine at a rate of one millilitre per hour, according to the university.

But, Attinger’s miniature device isn’t intended for home use.

It is being developed to help winemakers control fermentation in the cellar.

‘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,’ said Attinger. ‘We could quickly test alternatives.’

How does the non-stop wine machine work?

Attinger’s device works on compartments. Grape juice runs down a main tube, with yeast feeding into it through a thin film.

When the grape juice reaches the yeasts, they absorb the sugar and give off alcohol and CO2 through the membrane. According to Attinger, this happens quickly because of the small space, which makes rapid testing possible.
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