It seems almost crazy, yet the idea of putting grapes in the sea before making wine with them has an ancient history. Indeed, it was practiced by the Ancient Greeks, in particular on the island of Chios, over 2000 years ago.
Retracing their steps today is Professor Attilio Scienza, a winemaking expert at the University of Milan, together with Angela Zinnai and Francesca Venturi of the winemaking and oenology course at the University of Pisa. The protagonist of the experiment – because for now it is just an experiment – is Antonio Arrighi, a winemaker from the island of Elba, and his ansonica variety grapes.
The wine of Chios had something which other wines didn’t, a secret that the producers of the Aegean island guarded jealously, something that made the wine particularly aromatic and long-lasting: the presence in the wine of sea salt, after leaving the grapes in the sea in wicker baskets, with the objective of removing the bloom from the skins and accelerate the drying process while preserving the aroma of the fruit.
How It’s Made is a new format for Slow Fish. They are accessible for free on this site!
Other info
Event languages: IT, EN
Online event