This Machine Is Your Very Own At-Home Sommelier

Adulthood has its drawbacks, but some activities make it worthwhile — namely, the ability to drink all the wine you want and brag about being a connoisseur to your unimpressed friends. If you've ever wished for a robot sommelier to feed you information about your favorite wines, your time has come: Somm by Synek, a so-called "smart wine dispenser," promises to provide exactly that. Following in the footsteps of the company's original product, a countertop craft beer dispenser, Somm is an electronic wine dispenser that claims to learn users' preferences and pour the perfect glass of wine every time. You know, in case you needed a reminder that technology is amazing.

So how does it work? The wines themselves come in the form of canisters known as Sylos, which hold the equivalent of three bottles of wine. Once inserted, the coffee machine-sized mini-sommelier aerates and chills the wine based on its type; according to Somm's Kickstarter, the aeration process keeps the untouched wine from going bad. Perhaps more importantly, Somm comes with a smartphone app, which owners use to update their wine preferences. This information goes into an algorithm that provides recommendations based on your palate and tells you about the wine you're currently drinking.

"Somm is a natural first step for those new/overwhelmed with wine and a natural next step for the industry," Synek cofounder Michael Werner tells Bustle over email. "The future of wine, and most things, is bringing in supportive new technology to enhance the experience."

Somm is aimed squarely at Millennials, who accounted for almost half of all wine consumed in 2015. It's a generation that loves both wine and technology — but that could be a double-edged sword. After all, why fork over hundreds of dollars for a wine dispenser that provides information potentially found on Google? When asked about the advantages Somm has over self-directed wine drinking, Werner writes that it comes down to the whole package: The dispenser, the personalized recommendations, and the machine's eco-friendly nature. (The app will even auto-order more wine when it looks like your stores are running low.)

"Somm is about enhancing the entire wine experience, not just providing information from Google. Information from Google doesn't preserve the wine virtually forever, doesn't ship it direct to door, lower the eco-impact... or most importantly pour the wine perfectly to the winemakers intentions via a dispenser," Werner writes in an email.

According to the Kickstarter, Somm is already designed and waiting to go into production after the campaign has raised enough money — which certainly won't pose a problem. With more than a month left in its campaign, Somm's Kickstarter has already surpassed its goal of $100,000. Whether it lives up to its promises remains to be seen, but the moral of the story is clear: There's a market ready and waiting for robot sommeliers. The future is now, people.

Images: Peter Oswald / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images, SYNEK/YouTube, Giphy