As I was perusing the internet in the usual way tonight, I managed to come across a very cool youtube video of an intricate machine that will open a bottle of wine and pour a glass. The machine was made by Robert Higgs and runs on literally nothing more than a hand crank and gravity. Since it is not only very cool but also has to do with wine I thought I'd share:
While the machine is cool, it's certainly not practical but it does make me think about the ways we go about simple tasks. There are many ways to open a wine bottle these days: corkscrew, sabre (with sparkling at least), electric opener... and with the increasing popularity of Stelvin screw caps we're seeing this task become increasingly easier. This machine seems like the predecessor to the electric "rabbit" openers I glance at every time I walk through housewares in various stores. Unfortunately, as with its electric cousins I find that while the machine is cool and bears some novelty that it just isn't necessary. Call me old-fashioned but I kind of like the tactile sensation of popping the cork myself- by hand with a corkscrew. Of course, I've also been known to enjoy my wines from the Stelvin topped bottles as well because the way they open has almost no bearing on how they taste. In any case, it's still cool that someone spent hours, perhaps months conceptualizing and implementing the design for this machine which performs a simple task which most of us take for granted (I believe this makes it a Goldberg machine). I also suppose that it doesn't really matter how one goes about opening their bottles so long as they enjoy what's inside. So, with that- happy opening- however you choose to do it!
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