The Emerging Industrial Revolution in the Wine Industry
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
It’s becoming palpable. Not a day goes by that I don’t witness the marvels of evolving technologies and their influence on business, productivity and society.
But until recently, I hadn’t taken a step back from this ever-changing landscape to contemplate the impact of technology on our personal lives. Too immersed in gauging the technological impact as it revolutionized manufacturing industries, service industries and my personal productivity, I lost sight of the evolving, some might say devolving, role of humans in the future fabric of industries and society.
We’ve all come to realize that technology, in its many forms, now dominates our lives in numerous ways. Hard technology, such as sophisticated robots on production lines, is replacing human labor. Soft technology manages the operating systems of factories, replacing engineers. Complex business and scientific applications, controlled by self-contained programs, are accelerating the imbedded presence and influence of software, reducing – at times even eliminating – the need for human intervention.
I’ve previously reported on an article I read with considerable interest. It appeared in The New York Times, written by Eduardo Porter. In it, Porter reflected on the role of the workhorse prior to the invention of the combustion engine and the sea change it created that brought on the Industrial Revolution.
For centuries, workhorses were the mainstay and the backbone of economies, from transporting mail across long distances to performing many agricultural and industrial chores. The invention of locomotives, autos and farming machines brought about an unintended consequence: the demise of the role of the workhorse.
Porter posited that, to a certain extent, the invention of the computer chip may have created a similar dilemma for human labor. Robots, artificial intelligence, software programs and smartphone applications have eliminated the jobs of many middle-age workers.
The new jobs being created every day from advanced technology capabilities cannot be filled by these workers. There is a misalignment of skills.
In 2022 we speak of a full-employment economy. Yet, workers have dropped out of the workforce (and the reported unemployment statistics) due to the pervasive usurpation of human jobs by technology. Ironically, thousands of newly-created technology jobs are unfilled due to a lack of trained professionals.
Pardon my rant. Allow me to focus on the impacts to the wine industry of the current trends.
Notwithstanding the benefits of biodynamics, the shortage of migrant workers and the multitude of political self-interests in the United States, I believe we are immersed in the evolving surge of a new Industrial Revolution.
Of all the costs of managing a winery, beyond capital costs, labor dominates. For centuries, workers have plied their skills in the vineyards and the winery. Slowly at first, but recently accelerating, technology has been creeping into wineries. Here are several examples.
–Science is developing new grapevine clones utilizing DNA advances and sophisticated modeling programs. These grapevines are more heat and drought tolerant, disease-resistant and better suited to specific soils and microclimates. The consequence? Fewer field workers needed to manage the crops.
–Mechanical equipment is increasingly sophisticated, able to plant, prune and harvest grapevines more efficiently than the army of field workers previously required. The consequence? Displaced field workers.
–Sophisticated drone technology enables winemakers to survey the progress of grapevines during the growing season, providing vital statistics to ensure optimal crops. The consequence? Old-line oenologists, with many years of trial-and-error-developed skills achieved in the vineyards, have been replaced by computer reports (which must be interpreted by a smaller group of new-breed oenologists).
–New diagnostic tools analyze the growing environment of vineyards in real time, enabling cost savings in soil conditioners, fertilizers and water – all meant to increase yields and wine quality. The consequence? Higher quality wines, at the cost of displaced workers and field oenologists.
Where is technology leading us? How will history record this new Industrial Revolution? Several economists have forecast that a significant number of today’s jobs will be replaced by technology during the lifetime of millennials and Gen Z workers.
The consequence? Let’s not wait to find out. Rather, let’s find ways to optimize technology and stay ahead of the seeming inevitability of advanced technological dominance.
Nick Antonaccio is a 45-year Pleasantville resident. For over 25 years, he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. Nick is a member and program director of the Wine Media Guild of wine journalists. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
