It’s Science; Not Sorcery!

San Francisco-based startup, Ava Winery, is developing wine from mere molecules. Yes, that’s correct! Founded by Mardonn Chua and Alex Lee, this startup has been working with its bioengineers’ team to develop wine without any kind of fermentation. According to the founders, they don’t use grapes, apples, yeast or any other agent to produce it. They are just modifying certain bonded atoms.

How does it do it?

It’s a real deal; there is no magic behind it. All it takes is a group of bioengineers working on breaking down atoms, extracting specific molecules and modifying their structure to get the desired results. It’s all in the chemistry. According to Alex Lee, it is just like deconstructing water molecules and reproducing it in a lab. At present, Ava is working on using this method to reproduce three wines, namely, a Moscato d’Asti, a Dom Perignon and Dom Perignon. The challenge right now is to figure out the exact concentration levels of each molecule and that too when each wine has 80 to 200 compounds. Then there are synergistic and anti-synergistic effects to consider too. All these are the deciding factors behind a wine’s taste, look and feel.

Future

The startup is also planning to get into chocolate and coffee segment. But right now, they first have to deal with the licensing part. Ava has already applied for the license but according to Alex, it will take at least six months more before they can get those in hand. Meanwhile, the sales team is busy considering their options. They are speaking with big distributors and retailers and also contemplating direct-to-customer route.

Are you eager to try it out? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Takeaways:

• San Francisco-based startup, Ava Winery, is developing wine from mere molecules.
• All it takes is a group of bioengineers working on breaking down atoms, extracting specific molecules and modifying their structure to get the desired results.
• The challenge right now is to figure out the exact concentration levels of each molecule and that too when each wine has 80 to 200 compounds.

The startup is also planning to get into chocolate and coffee segment.