Squirrelled away in his chemical engineering laboratory in rural Shizuoka, Hiroshi Tanaka has spent 15 years developing an electrolysis device that simulates, he claims, the effect of ageing in wines. In 15 seconds it can transform the cheapest, youngest plonks into fine old draughts as fruit flavours are enhanced and rough edges are mellowed, he says.

Reds can become more complex, and whites drier. A wine costing £5 a bottle could taste the same as one costing twice that, which "will create huge changes to the global wine industry".

It may sound far-fetched, but the ultra-competitive wine industry is taking no chances.Wineries in California, South America and other parts of the new and old wine worlds are taking a close interest in Mr Tanaka’s machine, and several are already testing it. The machine works by pumping wine and tap water through a specially designed electrolysis chamber equipped with wafer-thin platinum electrodes. The water and the wine are separated by an ion exchange membrane — the key component, for which Tanaka holds the patent.

Without diluting the wine, the electrolysis causes a rapid rearrangement of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms around the alcohol molecules, which would normally take place over years if the wine were ageing naturally.

As the device approaches commercial readiness in January, the Robert Mondavi winery has asked to be kept updated on the results of trials. Because the electrolyser is capable of converting about four litres of wine a minute, some producers are considering ageing entire barrels before the wine is bottled.

Mr Tanaka and his team at Innovative Design and Technology (IDT) are also designing a version for small-scale use. He said: "There are several ways that this machine could go into service, of which improving the quality of wine at source is only one. We are going to make a version of the machine that can be used in restaurants to instantly improve the taste and bouquet of cheaper table wines according to what the customer has chosen."

Although Mr Tanaka may be on the verge of a crucial contribution to the history of wine, he confesses that he does not really like the stuff. He began his work on fruit juices and switched to alcoholic beverages only to soften the after-taste of a particularly rough type of saké he drinks.