Berlucchi - A Glass of Pleasure

Feb. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Over 40 years, the passion and commitment to the Italian classic method together with utilization of modern technologies contribute to the success of the Berlucchi brand.

Precision Farming

Franciacorta, situated in northern Italy, has partly morainic grounds and is ideal for viticulture. Franco Ziliani developed a high quality sparkling wine here in the 1960s – thus, Casa Berlucchi was born and, in just over 40 years, has reached an almost 30% share of the market and an increasingly important presence in international markets using the classic Italian method.

This company now incorporates tradition and experience using the most modern and advanced techniques. With the 2008 vintage, Berlucchi’s vineyards benefit from ‘precision farming’, making it possible to determine the harvest date and grape destination of the various product types. The technique consists of mapping land parcels according to soil type and photographing them with infrared rays. The images are then processed according to color. Red areas are characterized by slower growth in maturity, higher acidity and lower sugar levels, while green areas identify the fruit with higher sugar and lower production loads. Based on these maps, the sampling technician moves between the rows with a handheld GPS and visualizes his position in real-time, collecting reliable samples for different ripeness levels.

Grapes are then pressed and vinified separately, creating wines with surprisingly different characteristics even when generated from the same vineyard. This practice is supported by two presses capable of working continually. Benchmarks are analyzed at each pressing stage (brix, total acidity, pH, etc.), the juice enters various tanks and, after the refrigerated limpid phase, moves to the wine making area.

Precision Measurement

The analytical laboratory is equipped with a METTLER TOLEDO DR40 to measure combined density and refractive index. Its ease of use and reliability is due to the built-in Peltier cell thermostat measuring the minimum quantity of sample required for analysis. In addition to distillating alcohol content and brix, the system also determines several other parameters specific to the wine sector, i.e. Babo degrees, potential alcohol from refractive index and total dry extract from relative density. The DR40 is a flexible and valuable instrument for quick winemaking results.

Apart from pH and total acidity measurement, Berlucchi also uses the T70 Excellence Titrator to determine free combined and total sulfur dioxide. Dr. Ferdinando Dell’Aquila, head of laboratory operations, comments that, "We chose Mettler Toledo as you represent the best among the market offering. It was only with the use of these instruments that we have achieved such high quality and reliability standards. We also appreciate the efficient after-sales support. We are more than satisfied with METTLER TOLEDO."

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About METTLER TOLEDO

METTLER TOLEDO is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. The Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. METTLER TOLEDO also holds top-three market positions in several related analytical instruments and is a leading provider of automated chemistry systems used in drug and chemical compound discovery and development. In addition, the Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and marketer of metal detection and other end-of-line inspection systems used in production and packaging and holds a leading position in certain process analytics applications.