It’s easy to say bottling, but bottling is like putting a dot and opening a new chapter in the history of that product. So everything has to be precise…very precise (and who knows how fussy we are, can understand what that means for us!).
Shelf life refers to the time that elapses between production and consumption of the food without there being any risk to the consumer’s health. During this period, changes to the organoleptic characteristics of the food inevitably occur, leading to a progressive decline in its quality, but this must not compromise its health and hygiene safety. Shelf-life therefore depends on the chemical-physical and microbiological characteristics of the foodstuff and its composition, as well as on storage treatments and packaging. [cit. Il Fatto Quotidiano].
The production process must therefore be far-sighted: the objective in terms of quality is not the packaging but the moment of consumption as it is only here that a producer can consider his work finished (… perhaps…!).
In our opinion, the value of a product lies not only in the quality and authenticity of the product itself, but also in its ability to preserve these attributes, i.e. its shelf-life.
In wine and olive oil production, for different reasons and with different care, the preservation and shelf-life of the product are crucial.
The choice of packaging is important for the preservation of the product: all the attention paid at the production stage can be wasted if the packaging does not allow proper preservation.
Package material, size and closure are the 3 elements that we analyse and take care of for each of our products.
So how do we assess which is actually the best solution? Each product has its own characteristics and it is essential to know them thoroughly first, identifying the strengths and weaknesses responsible for the perishability of the product.
Probably the best example at Poggiopiano is the Plenum bottle: we fo not settle for pressing olives in a perfect state of health and ripeness, we do not approach pressing without first determining the best parameters for each batch, we do not assemble the different batches without a proper tasting, and we do not bottle unless in precise conditions.
Our choice for the Plenum bottle is a maximum of half a litre and a special dark green colour (Verdetrusco) that screens out 99% of light radiation, one of the main causes of the deterioration of any fat.
We like things concrete, earthly (and possibly enjoyable): speaking of shelf-life, it is the Montiferru National Competition that confirms all these words!
>>>> Plenum 2022: FIRST PRIZE in the Montiferru National Competition 2023 Pluricultivar Section and Honourable Mention for Shelf-Life 2023!
Then, what is certain, is that ‘realising’ all this over a tartare or a good boiled potato, is surely the best conclusion!
