Aging wine takes several patient years for the wine maker, with a chain of complex chemical reactions for the wine itself. But to slash it down to a few seconds is a process that will puzzle even the matured wine maker. Hiroshi Tanaka has replaced brews in oak barrels and bottles with a machine that performs electrolysis of wine. He can turn a just-fermented Beaujolais Nouveau into a smooth and fuller wine, by charging it up with few volts. The machine is a two-chambered device in which water passes through one tap and wine passes through the other, the membrane divides the two. The platinum electrodes keep out the acidity from wine into water, by isolating the negative ions.
Tanaka has got a patent for that part of the machine, which performs electrolysis. This system of electrolysis has brought the criticism of the wine makers in the whole of Europe, but Tanaka is confident on his discovery and his process is convincing enough.
The taste of wine is developed through the blending of water cluster molecules with the fermented alcohol, electrolysis breaks up the water clusters and allows the fine blending of water and alcohol. Moreover, it is healthier as the electrolyzed wine is healthier as it does not oxidize easily and has no anti-oxidizing agent that is present in other aged wines – as oxygen can ruin the liquor inside. No doubt it is a revolution in wine-making but anything new and a contrast to the conventional ageing process will cause a bit of unrest in the competitive wine industry. Tanaka need not be disappointed until his instant wine tastes as delicious as the aged wine.
