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The Department of Chemistry of Florence University together with terracotta klin “Artenova” of Impruneta, will pursue a study, the first of this type, to understand how the characteristics of terracotta can improve the quality of the wine refined in amphora.

If the wine in amphorae is now a phenomenon that everyone talks about and Tuscany wine region can be considered as a “teacher” in this ancient practice, it’s also true that we don’t know too much about the evolutionary aspects that link wine and terracotta.
To reach this intent has been signed a two-years research contract, the first one stipulated for this reason between a terracotta klin of Impruneta (Artenova that is a leader company in italy in trade of wine anphorae. With technical consulting by Francesco Bartoletti and Sergio Bettini) and researchers of Chemistry Department coordinated by Professor Luciano Lepri.

This new collaboration aims to explore and consider the special features given to the wine through the fermentation and refining process in terracotta of Impruneta amphorae. 
“As a company that invests very much in innovation, we felt the need to study in deep this aspect” this the words of Leonardo Parisi, owner of Artenova compnay.

The results of the study could already be shown on November 19th and 20th , during the 2nd edition of “Terracotta and Wine 2016” international convention promoted by Artenova that every two years brings together in Impuneta the producers of amphorae from all over the world.

The processes of fermentation, refining and conservation affect critically on organoleptic and chemical-physical parameters that characterize the wine and are strictly dependent by the type of container in which these processes take place.
In particular, the research aims to characterize the wine by the determination of chemical and physical-chemical macroparameters (total acidity, pH, alcohol, sugar), and the analysis of specific volatili compounds, which give aroma to the wine.

“For this reason – Professor Luciano Lepri says –  will be compared both white and red wines from the same vineyard, but at the same time refined a part in terracotta amphorae and a second part in steel tanks. It would also be determined the chemical composition of the clay used for the production of the amphorae and studied the variation of the porosity before and after the refining process”.

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