WINE DIVISION LEADS ON EXCITING NEW RESEARCH PROJECT!

One of our Plumpton College Wine Division 2nd year students, Jack Thorpe, is working on an exciting new research project, which could have far-reaching implications for the global wine industry. 

The aim of the project - Detect and Quantify the Potential of a Wine to Age by Measuring Maillard Precursors, Condensates and Product - is to quantify the potential for ageing of a wine by measuring those factors of the Maillard reaction, through the direct sampling of wines deemed by wine industry professionals to have the ability to age; be at the peak of ageing; be on the decline. 

Akshay Baboo, Jack's research advisor commented about the results of the study and states that it would:

“Create an empirical relationship between the post fermentative compounds in wine and its ageing potential. This would have far-reaching implications for the wine industry with some of its theorized applications being – its use by négociants to assess the potential for ageing of a wine from a producer in a given vintage, to globally assessing a given vintage for a specific region, to the insurance industry and their assessment of value of a given wine,” 

With the support of Plumpton Wine Division, Jack is now looking for sponsorship from the industry to support the research. There is an option for a business to come forward and headline the sponsorship, otherwise the college is offering a three-tiered sponsorship. Jack stated:

“I’m really excited to begin this research project of which the results will have direct implications for the industry on a global scale. Given the unprecedented time we are facing with Covid-19, research as a whole is going to be all the more important to our industry as we navigate our way through."

The sponsorship opportunities were a “fantastic opportunity” for a wine business to get involved with a small investment, but be able to “reap the long-term benefits from this ground-breaking research”

The results of the study will be shared with the sponsors six months prior to the publication of the study which is due to be completed in March 2021.

We're still accepting applications for September 2020. For more information about the range of courses on offer within our Wine Division, please visit out courses pages here.