Tea making is a delicate process that only the truest of enthusiasts around the world appreciate.

It’s not really a secret: Japan loves vending machines. So it’s not really surprising this newest (and quite unique) model is made in Nippon, too: A vending machine that lets you buy luxury wines through a pre-paid card. The machine is supposed to soften the negative effects the current recession has for wine lovers.

There were inklings of hints that this was the frattiest startup of all time.

HidrateMe aims to help you fill up on your H20 with a sensor that monitors your intake and syncs that information up with an app on your smartphone. Should you need more water than you are ingesting, the bottle will glow.

While the Internet is not lacking in places to buy wines online, a new Y Combinator-backed startup called Underground Cellar has come up with an interesting new concept for wine sales, where its customers are able purchase package deals that include random, free upgrades to premium, rare, and private-stash bottles from a number of wineries.

I wasn’t much of a wine drinker before moving to California wine country a few years back. Since then I’ve discovered I mostly like the red stuff and I like it to not burn while going down, but otherwise I’m still not sure what to choose among the myriad of options on the menu.

Devices that plug into smartphones to augment the built-in sensors with additional smarts are continuing to make their way to market, many fueled by crowdfunding.

Drizly, the East Coast-based Uber for liquor, has today closed a $2.5 million seed round of funding to expand into new markets and build out the team. The round was led by Continental Investors of Chicago, with participation from Gary Vaynerchuk through Vayner RSE ventures and Suffolk Equity, which will fold into an existing $2.3 million seed round.

Fake meats have been around for years, but a new crop of Bay Area startups backed by tech investors think they can make meat substitutes good enough to compete with the real deal.