Today’s prompt : What technology would you be better off without, why?
The first time I happened to see a Wine Dispenser was during my visit to an upscale wine bar in one of high end hotel’s in the city. Placed neatly on a shelf against the wall, it appeared sleek and chick.
Touting it as another feather in the cap, the chief sommelier showcased it to the guests proudly. You place the glass at the designated spot in front of this machine, press a digital tab and voila…the wine pours automatically in the glass, in a measured portion.
Was I impressed ? Certainly yes, at that time.
Technically, a Wine Dispenser is a device designed to serve and preserve wines. It stores wines at cool temperatures and prevents oxygen from entering the bottle when pouring.
Used in restaurants and bars, a wine dispenser prevents spoilage when selling wine by the glass. It also has the additional benefits of controlling the amount of the pour thereby limiting over-pour.
Wine is a Product of Emotion
There’s no doubt about that. Right from the vineyard where the grapes are grown and harvested, to the winery where the wine is made, it is the passion and dedication of vignerons and winemakers which created a good wine. It is for this reason itself that wine is often called as a bottled poetry.
And if that’s true, then certainly it needs the hands of a poet to serve it into a glass, well atleast proverbially so. We can’t simply leave it to a machine to do that.
Now I don’t want to make the simple activity of pouring a wine as something very philosophical, but at same time I wrest this opportunity to express something which I have often experienced.
Whenever someone pours me a glass of wine, it conveys to me an emotion – a kind warmth and camaraderie flows which makes me feel connected to the person pouring it. Similar emotions I have also felt while myself pouring wine to someone, maybe a known friend or even to someone you’ve just met. You can try this consciously sometime and feel the invisible bond which this creates.
Coming back to the wine dispenser – it is certainly a product of technology which comes with numerous business and consumer advantages, but I personally feel that it cannot create that the emotional connect which I tried to explain in the previous paragraph.
Have you served a pour of wine to someone recently? Have someone poured you a glass of wine in preceding days?
If so, did you feel an emotion reflective of bonhomie, warmth, camaraderie or something similar?
I would love to know about your views and experiences on this and shall wait eagerly for your replies.
Cheers !!
(References including some images – Wikipedia)
