What is terroir and can it be programmed?
There has been so much talk recently about the effects AI will have on the wine trade, so it therefore comes as no surprise to learn that a device has been developed which can identify where grapes are cultivated
Andrew J. Linn
Malaga
Friday, 12 July 2024, 14:14
The word terroir is accepted as describing the relationship wines have with the region where they are grown. There has been so much talk recently ... about the effects Artificial Intelligence will have on the wine trade, so it therefore comes as no surprise to learn that a device has been developed which can identify where grapes are cultivated - not the region or even the vineyard, but the exact spot. Even separations by almost indiscernible footpaths will not throw it off course.
The clever little device will also facilitate the identification of fakes, although conversely it will also make them easier to produce. The miraculous thing is that this development predated Chat GPT (AI), even though the techniques are not so different. And as AI is trained by inputting data, this method has been trained by familiarising it with 73 wines of various vintages from seven Bordeaux estates. The experiment was run dozens of times with varying samples used for the training and different vintages used for blind tests. Each time it performed exactly as it should, correctly identifying the estate.
WINE OF THE WEEK
-
Clos Ancestral 2022
-
This organic red made with Garnacha, Moneu and Tempranillo grapes comes from the nation's biggest family-owned winery, Torres, which continues to experiment and to ensure that autochthonous grape varieties do not die out This interesting wine comes from the Penedés region and is around 14 euros.
Anything published in the media relating to the eventual demise of the wine waiter or sommelier meets the wrath of thousands of well-organised professionals from every corner of the globe, as I can personally testify. And of course, we have to learn to live with increasing mechanisation, but this event is as near as we have come so far to encountering a situation that can wipe out a profession before our very eyes.
¿Tienes una suscripción? Inicia sesión
