Interaction Between Armenian Clay-based Ceramic and Model Wine

Abstract

Clay-based ceramic vessels (jars, pyhtoi, etc.) for wine fermentation and aging processes have been used in several cultures for millennia. This know-how still in practice in several countries of the Armenian highland is gaining worldwide in curiosity, popularity, and interest. Ceramic pots are famous among traditional winemakers for their benefits such as temperature regulation, natural cooling system, favorable oxygen exchange, and impact on pH, which are different from those of stainless steel, wood barrels, or concrete.

Despite a 5000-years-old history of the use of clay-ceramic vessels (amongst other in Armenia), there is only few scientific regard on the impact on wine quality. To approach this subject, it is necessary to recourse to many analytical techniques and we only report some results obtained by ICP-AES and proton NMR relaxometry on a model wine.

ICP-AES is used to identify the migration of elements from the ceramic to the model wine. The results of the elemental analysis of the model wine in contact with ceramics over time showed that a large number of elements were transferred from the ceramic to the model wine with different migration behaviors. The noticeable amount of migrating iron attracted attention.

NMR relaxometry is used to follow in situ, the migration of paramagnetic elements (like iron), reduction of iron, but also the consumption of dioxygen in the model wine in contact with the ceramic.

It is also shown that coated ceramic (e.g .with bee wax; a traditional Armenian method) can drastically limit chemical exchange.