| Argentinian winery invests in research |
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| miércoles, 26 noviembre 2008 | ||||||||
 Research & Development Every year, bodega Catena Zapata -the most important exporter of Argentinian wines to the United Kingdom- invests u$s 860,000, in supplies, equipment and labor for its Research and Development department, headed by winemaker Alejandro Vigil. Even though affirming that a winery conducts experiments is not something new -as many dedicate barrels, supplies and staff time to explore the potential of a variety or vineyard- Catena makes a difference as it has created a working team and allocated a juicy part of its budget to this purpose. Moreover, the company has agreements with public and private universities and institutions. The winery has a barrel and bottle aging room exclusively targeted to experimental work. "We have been allocated work areas within the winery. There is a research team comprised of six technicians who take on different responsibilities according to the work line. There is an operations team that conducts daily tasks. Most of the work is carried out manually due to the volume we deal with in research and development. We also have strong investments in equipment, such as pneumatic presses for small volumes," Vigil explains. The investment in investigation arises from the business decision regarding line and product styles, which are to be born from winery and market research. Asked about the aims of Catena's research programs, Vigil argues that "studies are mainly applied in the production of commercial wines. The goal is to exploit the potential of each variety both in the vineyard and the winery. This work seeks to basically improve the quality in all the wine lines." All the possibilities Vigil comments that they conduct explorations of the effect that certain cultural practices (thinning, irrigation, etc) have upon wine production. "We are also researching variety and clone adaptation to the different ecological regions; we make selections of Malbec, Chenin and Bonarda clones, among others. In the winery, the effect of harvest time is also investigated with regard to both red and white varieties, as well as the maceration times determined by yield and harvest moment, for which different equipment and ecological practices are used," he highlights. The most significant explorations in the vineyard have to do with the influence of light intensity and temperature on aromatic profiles and polyplenolic partition. "We are working on adequate yields for different price ranges and cultivated areas," Vigil claims. Developing markets WineSur inquired whether this research is related to the demands of the destination markets of specific wines. "The studies arise from market research," Vigil answers, "consumers define the wine they want to drink and through research we try to interpret their choices. Maximizing the potential of a certain grape and improving the final product's value while maintaining its profitability is our main goal." These experimental wines are obviously tested in the market in order to have Access to consumer opinion. "The market is always the boss; that is why we carry out tastings of our commercial wines. At the moment, we keep a cellar with over 12,000 research bottles in order to observe the evolution of these wines," he told WineSur. Most of Catena's new lines or product changes will emerge from these 12,000 bottles. This work is carried out for both still and sparkling wines. "We work in all kinds of wine, including sparkling ones. We are currently developing base wines with or without malolactic fermentation, considering harvest times, varieties and the like," Vigil adds.
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