Teo blends Primitivo from different tanks with Lambrusco to come up with the wine he’s looking to make for this winery
Day 29: September 30, 2023
Winery: Vinicola Mediterranea, Sava, Puglia
This was very interesting to me. Teo went through a blending process to come up with the wine he wants to make for a specific market, in this case, for Germany.
Blending
Teo blended Primitivo from three different tanks and Lambrusco from another tank in an effort to create the exact wine he wants to make. He tries out various percentages from each tank and then looks at the parameters for the blended wine. He does this with different sets (blends) of percentages and picks the best one. The decision is based not only on the actual nose and taste of the wine but also the values of the various parameters as measured by instrumentation. Sometimes, even if the wine is good on the nose and palate, the parameters may not be suitable for aging the wine. So this turns out to be a balancing acting between science and art. Checkout the video for details on this process.
The Need for Sweeter Wines in Germany
The German market tends to prefer sweeter wines, so another objective here is to make the wines a bit sweeter than usual.
The Addition of Rectified Concentrated Must (MCR)
After alcoholic fermentation, typically there is little or no residual sugar left in the wine. However, concentrated sugar can be added to the wine prior to the aging process. The sugar has to come from grapes grown in Puglia. Depending on the market where the wine is being sent to, the amount of sugar added will vary. For instance, the German market prefers sweeter wines, and it is not uncommon to add 10-15 mL of sugar per Liter of wine.
“Mosto Concentrato Rettificato”, also referred to as Rectified Concentrated Must (MCR) in English, is a product obtained from grape must in concentrated form. It is colorless and odorless with Brix levels of 65-70.
MCR is a product where all other substances are removed except sugar and water. The removal is done so as to not modify the organoleptic substances of the must to which it is added. Since MCR contains only sugars that are naturally present in the grapes, it does not alter the characteristics of the wine to which it is added. This is a typical practice to enhance the sweetness of a wine, especially sparkling wines.
Dulcification
Dulcification essentially means classification that is required to certify the wine according to the DOC or IGT/IGP requirements. Modifications in the wine making process, like adding MCR, adding wood chips to wine aging in stainless steel tanks, adding another grape varietal to the wine, etc., must be documented and be readily available to the government authority that certifies the wine in the designated area (DOC, IGT/IGP). A Primitivo DOC can contain up to 15% of another varietal. Typically, Lambrusco is added to enhance the color of the wine.
Ram, with owners Pino Marangio and Vito Epifani, and Teo