Don’t worry. I’m not going to start having a rant and stick it on a podcast, it’s not one of those TED talks. This is a talk about TED.
TED is the prototype robot vineyard worker that’s been doing the rounds at Château Clerc Milon in Pauillac. It’s all trying to monitor the vines to reduce the need for treatments, check for ripeness of the grapes, and also to perform the repetitive, but menial tasks that usually have human workers shuddering. Although management are clearly at pains to point out that manual labour will always be a part of the production of top class wines.
The team at Clerc Milon, and also the Symington Estates in Portugal, are hoping these experiments in partnership with the EU funded Naïo Technologies will lead to an acceleration of their move to organic and biodynamic principles. With right bank neighbours in Saint Emilion under pressure to fully convert to organic within the next two years, the left bank boys need to ready soon. It’s great to see them trying these things.
Although, TED? It’s Seth MacFarlane as teddy bear, sorry, it just is! Need to find a new name.
Cheers