Jack Thorpe, a 2nd year wine production student at Plumpton College is reaching out to the wine industry to support his ground-breaking research project which will have far-reaching implications for the global wine industry.

The project: Detect and Quantify the Potential of a Wine to Age by Measuring Maillard Precursors, Condensates and Product.

The aim of his exploratory study is to quantify the potential for ageing of a wine by measuring the precursors, condensates and products 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

“The results of this study will, for the very first time, 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” commented Thorpe’s Research advisor, Dr Akshay Baboo.

With the support of Plumpton Wine Division, Thorpe is looking for sponsorship from the industry to support this research. There is an option for a business to come forward and headline the sponsorship outlined below, or the college are offering a three-tiered sponsorship with the following spots up for grabs:

£2k plus duplicated samples (bottles) of 10 wines to have the ability to age category
£2k plus duplicated samples (bottles) of 10 wines to be at the peak of aging category
£2k plus duplicated samples (bottles) of 10 wines to be on the decline category

Thorpe comments “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. I believe this is 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 this study will be shared with the sponsors six months prior to the publication of this study which is due to be completed in March 2021.

For those businesses interested in being a sponsor please contact program manager Dr Akshay Baboo. E: akshay.baboo@plumpton.ac.uk

– ENDS –

For more media information please contact
Rachel Davey
E: Rachel@Racheldavey.co.uk