Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian
The Department of Chemistry of the University of Florence together with the terra cotta furnace, Artenova of Impruneta, is conducting the first research of its kind to understand how the characteristics of terra-cotta influence the aging of wine in amphoras.
Even though the aging of wine in amphoras is a phenomenon about which everyone in Tuscany speaks, little is known about the evolutionary aspects that tie wine and terra-cotta. This first time collaboration proposes to explore and evaluate the peculiar characteristics transferred to wine through the process of fermentation and aging in jars of terra-cotta of Impruneta.
“As a company that invests a lot in innovation”, says the owner of Artenova, Leonardo Parisi, “we felt the need to examine this aspect”.
The process of fermentation, aging and conservation have a critical influence on chemical, physical and organoleptic parameters which characterize wine, and are closely dependent upon the type of container where the process evolves.
The research proposes in particular to characterize the wine through determination of chemical and chemical-physical macro parameters (total acid, PH, percentage of alcohol, sugars) and the analysis of specific volatile components that give aroma to the wine.”
“To this end”, says Professor Luciano Lepri, who will conduct the research, “red and white wines from the same vineyard and developed at the same time in jars of terra-cotta and containers of steel will be compared. The chemical composition of the clay used for the production of the jars will also be determined and the variation of the porosity will be studied before and after winemakin”.