Somebody gets us - they really do!

[Wisconsin Beth]

THE MIRACLE MACHINE - THE WORLD'S FIRST AFFORDABLE WINEMAKING DEVICE FOR THE HOME
Bringing together Silicon Valley technology and Napa Valley wine expertise, The Miracle Machine is the world’s first affordable accelerated winemaking device for the home that reproduces great wine with minimal effort and within days. Designed as a table top appliance, and built using environmentally sustainable material, the machine has a clean and minimalist shape that will look good in any kitchen.

themiraclemachine.net/

[Virgil Showlion]

It looks interesting in concept, at least.

The product doesn't actually exist yet. They're running a kickstarter campaign to raise enough capital to get it off the ground.

I'd be worried about the drawbacks. It takes several days to produce the wine, it doesn't appear to produce a large quantity of it, and the wine can't be stored. Also, how wine from concentrate will taste is anyone's guess, even if the hydration process is regulated and micro-controlled.

There's also the convenience factor. How many people still own bread-makers?

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 12, 2014 9:10:57 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

It looks interesting in concept, at least.

The product doesn't actually exist yet. They're running a kickstarter campaign to raise enough capital to get it off the ground.

I'd be worried about the drawbacks. It takes several days to produce the wine, it doesn't appear to produce a large quantity of it, and the wine can't be stored. Also, how wine from concentrate will taste is anyone's guess, even if the hydration process is regulated and micro-controlled.

There's also the convenience factor. How many people still own bread-makers?

A Kitchen-Aid mixer with a bread hook. Does that count?

I also have a Cuisinart with a bread disc.

Oh, and wine storage would be the least of the issues for anyone here.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Yep. 

I've got my bread machine still.  I even bought new yeast for it a couple of weeks ago. 

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 12, 2014 9:33:33 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Mar 12, 2014 9:10:57 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

It looks interesting in concept, at least.

The product doesn't actually exist yet. They're running a kickstarter campaign to raise enough capital to get it off the ground.

I'd be worried about the drawbacks. It takes several days to produce the wine, it doesn't appear to produce a large quantity of it, and the wine can't be stored. Also, how wine from concentrate will taste is anyone's guess, even if the hydration process is regulated and micro-controlled.

There's also the convenience factor. How many people still own bread-makers?

A Kitchen-Aid mixer with a bread hook. Does that count?

I also have a Cuisinart with a bread disc.

Oh, and wine storage would be the least of the issues for anyone here.

Quantity would be the bigger issue for the crowd around here. A single machine might only produce 1 large glass every 4 days. You'd need to buy four of them if you're a one-glass-a-day drinker. It's hard to gauge the scale of the machine from the photos, and capacity isn't mentioned.

By my calculations (and assumptions), the machine would pay for itself after ~87 large glasses of wine.

[The Captain]

Mar 12, 2014 9:55:32 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Mar 12, 2014 9:33:33 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

A Kitchen-Aid mixer with a bread hook. Does that count?

I also have a Cuisinart with a bread disc.

Oh, and wine storage would be the least of the issues for anyone here.

Quantity would be the bigger issue for the crowd around here. A single machine might only produce 1 large glass every 4 days. You'd need to buy four of them if you're a one-glass-a-day drinker. It's hard to gauge the scale of the machine from the photos, and capacity isn't mentioned.

By my calculations (and assumptions), the machine would pay for itself after ~87 large glasses of wine.

Ok, you win. Deal breaker.

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 12, 2014 9:58:02 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Mar 12, 2014 9:55:32 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Quantity would be the bigger issue for the crowd around here. A single machine might only produce 1 large glass every 4 days. You'd need to buy four of them if you're a one-glass-a-day drinker. It's hard to gauge the scale of the machine from the photos, and capacity isn't mentioned.

By my calculations (and assumptions), the machine would pay for itself after ~87 large glasses of wine.

Ok, you win. Deal breaker.

Eighty-seven glasses? No problem here. That's what, a day's consumption?

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 12, 2014 9:58:02 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Mar 12, 2014 9:55:32 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Quantity would be the bigger issue for the crowd around here. A single machine might only produce 1 large glass every 4 days. You'd need to buy four of them if you're a one-glass-a-day drinker. It's hard to gauge the scale of the machine from the photos, and capacity isn't mentioned.

By my calculations (and assumptions), the machine would pay for itself after ~87 large glasses of wine.

Ok, you win. Deal breaker.

Not necessarily. Suppose you do buy four of them for $2000. Running them on rotation, you'd get your 1 large glass a day. The four combined would pay for themselves after 348 glasses (348 days), after which you'd be saving yourself $5.75 a day for as long as the machines continued to function. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that a machine would last for > 1 year under constant operation, so the cost savings could be significant.

You'd just have to ask yourself whether the hassle of ordering the ingredients, making the wine, and cleaning the machines, and any difference in the quality of the wine, were worth $5.75 a glass to you.

[mmhmm]

Mar 12, 2014 9:10:57 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

It looks interesting in concept, at least.

The product doesn't actually exist yet. They're running a kickstarter campaign to raise enough capital to get it off the ground.

I'd be worried about the drawbacks. It takes several days to produce the wine, it doesn't appear to produce a large quantity of it, and the wine can't be stored. Also, how wine from concentrate will taste is anyone's guess, even if the hydration process is regulated and micro-controlled.

There's also the convenience factor. How many people still own bread-makers?

I own a bread maker.  My mother is crazy about fresh, home-baked bread.  The breadmaker can produce same while I'm doing other things, and it does a darned good job of it!

[lexxy703]

I still have my breadmaker I bought 20+ years ago.  Granted I only pull it out a few times a year.

One glass of wine a day wouldn't cut it for me.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

I think buying a box of wine is easier.

[Sam_2.0]

Hell, I drink the $2.89 bottles of wine from Aldi, no $6/glass stuff here! At least right now I am saving $9/week from not buying wine. Poor DH hasn't broken down to go get his own yet.

[MarleyKeezy78]

I was all for till I got to the one glass every four days, lol! Uh, yeah right   

[Deleted]

I buy those bigger bottles, which I think are 2 bottles of wine in one.  Usually I buy the ones that are on sale for $6.99 or so.  That's basically just one step above a box of wine...they don't even have a cork, just a twist-off.

Cool idea, but not practical.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Meh - I just keep a few bottles in the fridge. Take one out, uncork, and pour. Much simpler (and quicker) than waiting 4 days for one little glass of wine - which probably wouldn't taste that great either.

[The Captain]

Mar 12, 2014 10:13:38 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Mar 12, 2014 9:58:02 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Ok, you win. Deal breaker.

Not necessarily. Suppose you do buy four of them for $2000. Running them on rotation, you'd get your 1 large glass a day. The four combined would pay for themselves after 348 glasses (348 days), after which you'd be saving yourself $5.75 a day for as long as the machines continued to function. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that a machine would last for > 1 year under constant operation, so the cost savings could be significant.

You'd just have to ask yourself whether the hassle of ordering the ingredients, making the wine, and cleaning the machines, and any difference in the quality of the wine, were worth $5.75 a glass to you.

Virgil - with all due respect and affection - you are obviously not a wine drinker sweetie and/or don't know me at all after all these years. Let me post a few rebuttal points (which are somewhat addressed...)

1.  If I'm putting out $2K on my wine, it will be on a known commodity, not something that may (will if I'm doing it) produce a product of inferior quality.
2.  A glass a day?
3.  I want to open a bottle and drink my wine, not stomp the grapes, measure the yeast, and hope the silly maching somehow get's it right...and I don't have any cleanup right now except my glasses...win win.
4.  I did start out on YM after all, so there is NO WAY I'm coughing up $5.75 a glass for wine. Most of my bottles (4+ glasses) run in the $8-12 range.

I can' imagine anyone serious enough to make their own wine (and I do know a few folks) that would buy this.  They do it for the craft, and spend far more making their own then they would spend buying a decent blend from Aldi or TJ's.

But - I agree with you - the hassle is not worth it!

[Virgil Showlion]

They're clearly marketing the product to wine connoisseurs. People who spend $20 or more for a bottle of wine and don't drink so much of it that waiting a few days for a glass would be a dealbreaker.

Their pitch in the video is that it can make a bottle of wine (3 cups) in just over a week, and they claim it's indistinguishable from the high-quality wines it's meant to emulate. Obviously those claims may need a touch of scrutiny.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

My brother makes & bottles wines. For a good quality Zinfandel, Chablis or Chardonnay, it's definitely not a 4-day process. Good quality wine takes time.

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 12, 2014 17:00:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

My brother makes & bottles wines. For a good quality Zinfandel, Chablis or Chardonnay, it's definitely not a 4-day process. Good quality wine takes time.

Not if you use technology... apparently.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

The "Miracle Machine" is a gimmick - and no doubt some people will actually buy into it.

Tune into "The Shopping Channel" some time to see other useless crap people are buying.

[mmhmm]

Mar 12, 2014 17:00:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

My brother makes & bottles wines. For a good quality Zinfandel, Chablis or Chardonnay, it's definitely not a 4-day process. Good quality wine takes time.

We made our own wine in Saudi.   My late husband made an absolutely marvelous sweet raspberry dessert wine.  I've never tasted another I liked as well.  Pity, I have no idea what he did with the recipe.

[Bonny]

Mar 12, 2014 17:42:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Mar 12, 2014 17:00:17 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

My brother makes & bottles wines. For a good quality Zinfandel, Chablis or Chardonnay, it's definitely not a 4-day process. Good quality wine takes time.

We made our own wine in Saudi.   My late husband made an absolutely marvelous sweet raspberry dessert wine.  I've never tasted another I liked as well.  Pity, I have no idea what he did with the recipe.

That must have been fun!

Bonny Doon (a local winery) makes a beautiful framboise wine. I'm not a big dessert wine drinker but love it on ice cream.

BTW @copperpouches has a thread on the tax forum about her and her DH considering moving to Saudi. I think your experiences could be helpful

[steff]

My gramma made homemade strawberry wine & blackberry wine.  I remember the big wine bottles with a giant punching balloon on them tucked away in the corner by the buffet all summer long.  I have her recipe & was considering trying to make her strawberry wine this year. 

she also always had a giant real crock thingy in the fridge with her brandied fruit in it for her brandied fruit cakes at xmas.  I got to help add fruit, sugar & stir it once a week. 

[Deleted]

Mar 12, 2014 18:11:48 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Mar 12, 2014 17:42:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

We made our own wine in Saudi.   My late husband made an absolutely marvelous sweet raspberry dessert wine.  I've never tasted another I liked as well.  Pity, I have no idea what he did with the recipe.

That must have been fun!

Bonny Doon (a local winery) makes a beautiful framboise wine. I'm not a big dessert wine drinker but love it on ice cream.

BTW @copperpouches has a thread on the tax forum about her and her DH considering moving to Saudi. I think your experiences could be helpful

Lol, that's still up in the air    DH called his current (very likable) boss earlier today, if they can meet us part way with pay, it'll probably be a joint move to Houston instead.  

DH is the one who has to deal with the chosen bosses and teams on a daily basis, so I want him to choose with no regrets or feeling pressured to do something or give up something.

On the topic of wines though... I don't normally drink it, but I wonder if the Bonny Doon is the stuff a gaming friend gave me once?  It was raspberry based, really sweet and delicious, almost like juice.  So much tastier than the super strong beer they enjoy from the Russian River Brewery.  Pliny the Younger will knock a person flat after a bit 

[mmhmm]

Mar 12, 2014 18:11:48 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Mar 12, 2014 17:42:59 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

We made our own wine in Saudi.   My late husband made an absolutely marvelous sweet raspberry dessert wine.  I've never tasted another I liked as well.  Pity, I have no idea what he did with the recipe.

That must have been fun!

Bonny Doon (a local winery) makes a beautiful framboise wine. I'm not a big dessert wine drinker but love it on ice cream.

BTW @copperpouches has a thread on the tax forum about her and her DH considering moving to Saudi. I think your experiences could be helpful

It was kinda fun, Bonny, and I'm not a drinker, for the most part.  People there made their own beer and their own hard liquor (either called "white" or "brown" - "brown" was flavored with oak chips, I think).  There were times when you'd go for a walk in the neighborhood and it smelled like a bakery!

I'll check out copperboxes' thread.  Don't know where they'll be going, but I might have some things to share.  I've been gone from there a long time, though. I'm sure there have been many changes.

[Bonny]

@copperpouches,

If I was born near Healdsburg I would never leave.  

Actually that's not true. I WAS born in Napa but my parents pulled me away when I was a year and a half and I was forced to grow up in San Diego. The horror, so few vineyards!

[Deleted]

Mar 12, 2014 18:40:36 GMT -5 Bonny said:

@copperpouches,

If I was born near Healdsburg I would never leave.  

Actually that's not true. I WAS born in Napa but my parents pulled me away when I was a year and a half and I was forced to grow up in San Diego. The horror, so few vineyards!

Lol, it is a beautiful area, but it's wicked expensive for people starting out, I think partially because so much of the land is being used to grow grapes or marijuana. 

When we moved to Oklahoma, the minimum wage there and here was only 25 cents different.   I do find that I enjoy the geography and lakes of Oklahoma a whole lot too, and the library system in the metro area here is fantastic.  Big thumbs up for the balcony at the Warren Theater too.  Apparently it surprises people that we enjoy Oklahoma so much, but a lot of the land honestly reminds me of Petaluma, and I've seen kite surfers on the lakes with the whipping winds out here.  Those guys can JUMP!  No fear 


For the wine machine:  I think there might be a niche market for it?  People do all sorts of counter top projects.  It might not be mainstream, but I could easily see people buying it and tinkering with it as a hobby or someone gifting it to another.  It's teeny, but I guess you could also say that it's not intimidating to try, and dip a toe into wine making?

[NastyWoman]

A wine machine for $2,000? Neh, I'll stick with the tried and true method of -> go to TJs ->buy wine -> go home -> drink wine.  Works every time

[Bob Ross]

Pfft.  I fail to see the point of this device.  People have been making prison wine for decades without one.

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 13, 2014 9:08:39 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

Pfft.  I fail to see the point of this device.  People have been making prison wine for decades without one.

And you've had a few slurps of prison wine, AKA Bartles-and-Jaymes-Behind-Bars, have you?