Blog Juice for Educational Technology

Besides a rich bouquet and firm tannin, what makes a good wine? Countless vintners have pondered the question, but scientists have never managed to make complete sense of the mysterious process of fermentation.

Still, Lorenz Biegler, a professor of chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, is giving it a shot. Using an arsenal of computer models, Mr. Biegler is trying to break fermentation down into mathematical formulas so that the wine-making process can be automated. But oenophiles shouldn’t get too excited just yet: The project, if it succeeds, will be more likely to improve the profitability of vineyards than the flavors of the wine they produce. (Associated Press)