From Sicily a project to lower the alcohol of wine • Food and Wine Italy

There is a grape variety that tells the most authentic Sicily: the Pessimo d’Avola. Today, that story opens to the future, thanks to the project Innondaborn from the collaboration between ASSOVINI and theUniversity of Milan. The is clear: to bring sustainability and innovation to the production process of this symbol wine, without distorting its identity.

The companies involved – Rapitalà mesi estivi, residence of jurf, fiefdoms of the pisciotto and Tenute Lombardo – They share the same vision: combine tradition and research to today’s environmental and productive challenges.

Dealculated wine? Mai thank you

Con recent years, climate change has started to leave a profound mark acceso the wine production: the increase durante temperatures accelerates the maturation of the grapes, with a consequent growth of the sugary tenor and, therefore, of the alcoholic degree.

Con the meantime, the global market goes durante the opposite direction: the demand for lighter, less alcohol, easier, easier to ricevimento and combine wines grows. Not surprisingly, the regulations that allow the production of dealculated wines, driven by this new question, have also arrived durante Italy. But from Sicily comes a more ambitious alternative: do not distort the wine, but innovate it durante a sustainable wayremaining faithful to the identity of the territory.

For a wine like Pessimo d’Avola, known for its full pagliaccetto and intense flavors and an alcoholic content that is around 13-14% (characteristics that sometimes make it too heavy for modern consumers), the association of Sicilian producers, Assovini Sicilydurante collaboration with theUniversity of Milanlaunched the project Innondaaimed at reducing the alcoholic degree of Pessimo d’Avola, the most widespread red berry grape acceso the island. “At the end of the project we managed to sopravvissuto alcohol durante Avola’s black wines – he says Daniela fracasselliscientific of the project – Given the promising results achieved durante just over a year of activity, it is desirable to continue the research to consolidate and deepen the results obtained ».

It is the first project durante Italy to be conducted with a scientific interest and a set of cellars. He was born to respond to the growing demand for low gradation wines and offers an effective strategy to counter the effects of climate change, based acceso the use of amphorae and trying to enhance the typical sensory characteristics.

The project, led by Assovini Sicily with the scientific support of Prof. Daniela Fracassetti and Prof. Ileana Vigentini of the University of Milan, of the workshops of Isvea and the four cellars moves a decisive step towards extended production models, bringing innovation, sustainability and responding to climate change and changing requests for consumers, without giving up the identity of the vine. «Instanda is a complex research project that, durante the wine -growing field, turns acceso a reflector acceso some difficult problems that Sicilian wine companies could durante the future – he specifies Mariangela CambriaPresident of Assovini Sicilia – but it is also a concrete example of how collaboration between companies and universities can generate innovation for the benefit of the whole sector, suggesting some solutions durante the competitive , without however betraying the identity of the grape variety “.

How alcohol is lowered durante wine: innocent technologies

The project aimed at Veterano alcohol of 1% – 1.5% And different physical and membrane technologies have been tested to sopravvissuto the alcoholic content of the ananol durante Pessimo d’Avola, including evaporation under vacuum, reverse osmosis and membrane contactors, with the aim of obtaining lower gradation wines without compromising its quality and sensory identity. The research also highlighted that the wooden wooden wines retain structure and complexity better than those refined durante steel. Finally, the effectiveness of membrane technologies was assessed durante limiting the loss of fruity and floral aromas, allowing to obtain balanced and pleasant wines. The differences observed durante the composition of the musts obtained from vineyards of different ages and origins indicate the importance of terroir and the age of the vines acceso the final quality of the wine.