The wines of three of the most prestigious and historic Italian wineries will fly into space, Biondi-Santi, Fiefs of San Gregorio e Gaja with their cuttings.
Be wine bottles, from two different vintages – Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2006 and 2015 for Biondi-Santi, Montevergine plan 2012 and 2015 for Feudi di San Gregorio, Barolo Sperss 1988 and 2017 for Gaja – and three cuttings with the leaves of their own vine, they were delivered to the Italian Space Agency for the realization of a scientific experiment advanced on microgravity and for the study of the potential of growing plants in space, which will have as its destination the first human outpost in orbit, the Space Station International. The delivery took place on the occasion of the 15th International Forum of Wine Culture, organized by Italian Sommelier Foundation.
The experimental conservation study at 400 km altitude and 28.000 km per hour
On the Space Station we will study the experimental conservation at an altitude of 400 kilometers at a ground speed of more than 28 thousand kilometers per hour. Another bottle of each vintage will be examined by Analysis Cabinet of the Italian Space Agency before the journey into space and the last bottle will be kept at the Italian Sommelier Foundation for comparison after the return journey. The intent is to evaluate the aging power of wines in space and investigate the conservation variables of the most recent vintages compared to the more mature ones of each wine, in open comparison with the extraordinary longevity that distinguishes them on Earth.
The unique initiative of its kind, which puts wine, its culture and its history at the center of a futuristic project was conceived by the founder of the Italian Sommelier Foundation Franco Maria Ricci, to explore the future prospects of the vine. Ricci has chosen three representative vines of Italian winemaking excellence, Sangiovese, Aglianico and Nebbiolo, and three iconic companies which, in enhancing these vines, tell the world every day a story of the unique winemaking tradition of Made in Italy: Biondi-Santi, Feudi di St. Gregory and Gaja.
The wines that will travel to the space station for the oenology of the future
I three producers involved – Giampiero Bertolini, Antonio Capaldo and Angelo Gaja underline the importance of this initiative for the innovation of thinking in the international wine world.
The most cultivated grape in Italy, the Sangiovese, has its widest diffusion in Tuscany. Biondi-Santi, the first producer in the history of Brunello, joined the project with the delivery of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (red wines) Riserva 2006 and the latest release on the market, the 2015 vintage. “Wine is a story that evolves over time, Biondi-Santi has in its DNA experimentation and the use of innovative techniques adopted primarily by enlightened oenologists such as Franco Biondi Santi, who arrived at the identification of the BBS11 clone in 1978. Today Biondi-Santi has entered a new era and it is a great emotion to bring a our vine cuttings in space, with our wines, and think that this could represent a new step to add useful information to the future of our cellar.” comments Giampiero Bertolini, CEO of Biondi-Santi.
Among the native vines Aglianico was selected from the Campania tradition and represents the "false South" of Irpinia with its elegance and structure. In the symbolic vineyard of the Feudi di San Gregorio winery, the Piano di Montevergine, from which the Riserva di Taurasi is born, centenary ungrafted vines alternate with fruit and olive trees. Antonio Capaldo, president of Feudi di San Gregorio, comments: “When I learned that our Aglianico would travel in space, I was really moved: Feudi di San Gregorio was born with the intention of bringing the beauty of Irpinia and the its wines in distant lands, but I never thought they would get so far. Seeing Aglianico selected from among the great Italian red vines – and our Piano di Montevergine together with two extraordinary wines that have made the history of our country – is also a source of great pride. In addition to the current vintage, 2015, I have chosen another iconic vintage: 2012, our twentieth vintage.”
Among the autochthonous black grape varieties, Nebbiolo was also chosen, which in the heart of the Langhe, in the municipality of Serralunga, gives life to Barolo Sperss di Gaja, whose term in Piedmontese dialect means nostalgia: that of Giovanni Gaja, Angelo's father for childhood memories linked to Serralunga. The object of the spatial experimentation will be the 1988 vintage, the first produced by Gaja and the most recent, that of 2017. Angelo Gaja says: “The Vino nel Spazio project is a message of civilization. Already the Romans, when they expanded into new territories, spread the cultivation of the vine to produce wine as an ambassador of peace, joy and fraternity. We don't know when it will be possible to reach new hospitable planets, but a message of good wishes derives from the vine and wine, the richest Mediterranean drink in history and culture."
