In the ancient world wine was used for religious rites. As the Christian era came around, wine became a part of secular life. In the Middle Ages wine was savoured for its nutritional benefits. Besides, it was far safer to drink wine than plague-ridden water. Wine was so popular in the Middle Ages that it competed with beer. From the drink of the masses, it became the darling of the upper-class in the mid-19th century. However, due to vine disease and two world wars, there followed a significant dip in the consumption of this spirit. However, the 20th and 21st century saw yet another resurgence of wine assisted by a technological revolution.

For generations, winemakers resisted technology and modern techniques, as they looked at change with suspicion and kept the old traditions alive. Even today, the traditional method of grape-stomping, or the act of crushing grapes with feet, is probably one of the most iconic images of wine making. But it’s time to retire that image from our memory as winemakers today have switched to pneumatic presses to extract juice from grapes. Modernisation is sweeping through wineries that are using automatic or semi-automatic processes to improve the process quality, reduce waste, cut costs and increase production.