This new Jesus machine lets you turn water into wine

last updated 8 January 2015

A new smartphone-operated winemaking device dubbed the Miracle Machine promises to allow users to turn water into wine at home, at the mere cost of fruit juice, over a fermentation period of just three days. Simply select the type of wine you'd like to make, add the right quantity of ingredients, and the machine will do the rest, claim the inventors. If you want a Cabernet Sauvignon with a "lively" character, the app will generate the recipe:

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Of course, the real test is whether consumers like the product. I don't doubt that it's possible to chemically analyze expensive wines, and then create a machine that can recreate them from a recipe. Whether or not consumers will have enthusiasm for these reconstructions is quite another thing. If they can get that, then this new technology could really upend the drinks industry (and eventually, perhaps also the food industry).

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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.

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