WineCab, the US$180,000 robot sommelier that will scan your face, choose your wine and deliver it at the right temperature

Apr 3 , 2021

Winecab’s storage: would you pay US$180,000 for an AI-driven wine storage system that will offer recommendations and deliver your wine with a robotic arm? Photo: handout

The 600-bottle WineWall 15” makes recommendations, offers real-time information and delivers wine with a six-axis, high-speed robotic arm

The facial recognition system can keep unauthorised (or underage) drinkers away from certain bottles – so no one can raid your best vintages when you’re away

What: WineCab

How much: US$179,000

Why: No longer are bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or Screaming Eagle relegated to the dusty, dark, medieval pigeon-hole cellars of Boomer McMansions. Instead, the Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru floats on a shelf in a glass-panelled exhibition space next to the Calacatta-topped open kitchen, or defies gravity from a suspended cable rack, contending with anything you’ve seen at Cirque du Soleil.

The difference between WineCab and other contemporary wine displays? A quieter cool air system, yes; facial recognition security, yes; but perhaps most ostentatious of all: a six-axis, industrial, high-speed robotic arm.

A wall of wine … complete with a robot to fetch it for you. Photo: handout

Forget anything so plebeian as using your own limbs when it comes to selecting a bottle for your next soirée. Instead, let AI take control of your alcoholic libations – from robotically scanning your collection and dispensing your bottle, to acting as your digital sommelier by assisting with wine pairing.

The WineCab, is available in three models: the WineWall 15” (600 bottles), WineWall 11” (400 bottles) and the stand-alone Curio Classic cabinet (250 bottles). All feature Delectable, an advanced wine management system with more than 600,000 labels in its directory. The data is accessible through an iPad Pro or your smartphone, and provides real-time information and a recent history of bottles that have been stored, dispensed or moved.

Because every stylish modern home needs a healthy wine selection, and a robot sommelier to choose it for you. Photo: handout

As much as the robotic arm is the focal feature, you have to love the idea of a facial recognition security system that prevents other users from accessing certain bottles. Your teenage son who hosts a house party while you’re away will be sorely mistaken if he thinks he’ll be able to order the AI about. That bottle of Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux will be firmly out of bounds.