Ava Winery

A San Francisco start-up called Ava Winery has produced synthetic “wine” according to New Scientist magazine. The process, which requires no grapes and takes about 15 minutes, involves combining ethanol (alcohol) with other molecules like ethyl isobutyrate which has a fruity aroma and ethyl hexanoate which smells a lot like pineapples. The first synthetic “wine” produced was a “moscato.” This summer, the winery plans to release about 500 bottles of imitation “Dom Perignon.” It’s not clear if federal regulations will allow synthetic “wine” to be called wine.

The “Classico” in Chianti Classico refers to:

A. The fact that classic methods and classic varieties are used to produce the wine

B. The fact that the wine was once reserved for the nobility of Florence

C. The fact that the region was the historic center of Chianti production

D. The fact that the wine is tasted by a panel of experts who certify its quality and character as being top level or “classic”

The Chianti Classico is the original, small, hilly, central area in which the richest, fullest Chianti is produced. The uniqueness of the region was underscored when it was given a DOCG, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, of its own in 1984. The very best Chianti Classicos have plum and dried cherry flavors and sometimes a touch of salt and spice.

“In Europe then we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also as a great giver of happiness and well-being and delight. Drinking wine was not snobbism nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me, as necessary.”

–Ernest Hemingway(1899-1961),
A Moveable Feast

Ava Winery

Get WineSpeed