Technology in a bottle
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...vines longer to ensure ripeness. Riper grapes have more sugar, which translates into a higher alcohol content. In Europe, winemakers have the opposite problem – greater rainfall leaves the grapes water-laden, and low in alcohol content. Because consumers want ripe, full-bodied, fruity wines, but they do not want excessive alcohol or water, winemakers find it almost a necessity to use these filtration techniques. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives imposes a tax on American wine that is above 14% alcohol, creating a monetary incentive to keep the alcohol level of domestic wines low.

These factors can drive even the most reluctant winemakers to turn to technology when their wines have not turned out as they had hoped. Winemakers want a consistent product, and modern technology allows them to go back and “fix” their wine to some degree, decreasing the distinction between their “good” and “bad” years. “Personally, I’ve never liked these techniques, from a winemaking standpoint,” says Robert Blue, winemaker for Bonterra Ranch vineyards in northern California, although he acknowledges using some of them in the past to resurrect a disappointing crop.

Clark Smith, co-owner of Vinovation, a company that provides reverse osmosis services to wineries, is less reserved in his enthusiasm. According to Smith, the refrigeration and electricity everyone uses were once considered technological innovations. “There is nothing in any winery today that would be recognizable to a winemaker from a hundred years ago,” he says. “The twentieth century redefined the normal.” In 20 or 50 years, winemakers may be taking this technology for granted too. “Technology is just a new idea you’re a little afraid of,” says Smith.

These new winemaking methods are helping to divide the American wine market even further between expensive high-end boutique wines and affordable mass-produced table wines. While technology in general is appropriate for table wines, says Mark Vlossak, winemaker for St. Innocent Winery in Oregon, “great wines are never made with technology; it’s their antithesis.” Table wines and masterpieces are both legitimate goals of modern wineries, he says, but in an ideal world, winemakers would use as little technology as possible and let the wine simply make itself.

Smith, however, thinks technology can have a place even in the high-end wineries, to find “sweet...