FirstGlass: Quality and Innovation at the Heart of Our New Bottling Line
Two years of research and development, tailor-made technology, and a production capacity of up to one million bottles per year. FirstGlass takes another step forward in innovation within the Italian wine industry.
Two Years of Research with Quality as Our Top Priority
Innovation in the wine industry means finding new solutions without compromising what makes each wine unique: its quality, character, and identity.
With this philosophy in mind, FirstGlass has developed its own bottling line dedicated to the 100 ml format, designed to ensure greater precision and more accurate control throughout the production process.
The project is the result of two years of research, experimentation, and analysis of production processes, during which FirstGlass examined the strengths of existing solutions and identified new opportunities for improvement, with the aim of further enhancing bottling quality and efficiency.
A key role in the development of this project was played by Francesca Vigo, co-founder of FirstGlass, a graduate in Food Science and Technology with over twenty years of experience in the wine industry, spanning wine production, quality control, technical management, and entrepreneurship.
Drawing on her extensive professional expertise and in-depth understanding of FirstGlass’s production requirements, Francesca contributed directly to the design of the new bottling line, custom-developed in collaboration with GAI, an Italian company specialising in bottling technology.
The result is a highly specialised bottling line, among the first in the world specifically designed for the 100 ml format, marking a significant step forward in quality control, technological innovation, and FirstGlass’s production growth.
Technology Designed to Preserve Wine Quality
One of the key features of the new FirstGlass bottling line is oxygen management during the bottling process. Excessive exposure to oxygen can affect how wine evolves over time, potentially altering its aromas, freshness, and organoleptic characteristics.
To address this, the FirstGlass line incorporates a protective system that uses inert gases, particularly nitrogen, at different stages of the production process.
This technology helps reduce the wine’s exposure to oxygen during bottling, contributing to the preservation of its characteristics and promoting greater consistency in quality.
However, the true value of FirstGlass’s innovation goes beyond the technology itself: it lies in the ability to monitor and adapt the bottling process to the specific characteristics of different types of wine, through increasingly precise control of quality parameters.
Initial internal assessments carried out on the new line have already shown encouraging results, with dissolved oxygen levels generally meeting FirstGlass’s established quality targets and remaining lower than those recorded in previous production runs.
Supporting this approach, earlier independent shelf-life studies conducted on one white wine and one red wine bottled using the previous production line found no significant differences between the FirstGlass 100 ml format and traditional 750 ml bottles under the conditions tested.
The new production phase aims to build on these results through even more precise process control and continuous quality monitoring.
Up to One Million Bottles per Year: A New Phase of Growth
The new bottling line represents a major step forward in FirstGlass’s production capabilities.
Thanks to this technology, the company will be able to reach a production capacity of up to one million 100 ml bottles per year, opening up new opportunities for growth and collaboration with wineries.
Another distinctive feature is its operational flexibility, allowing FirstGlass to offer two bottling solutions: transporting bulk wine to its own facility for bottling or bringing the bottling line directly to the winery.
The latter option also makes it possible to work with DOC and DOCG wines within their designated production areas, in compliance with the applicable appellation regulations.
This flexible production model is designed to meet the diverse needs of wineries, combining efficiency, adaptability, and a strong commitment to wine quality.
The Future of FirstGlass Begins with Quality
The new bottling line represents far more than a technological investment.
It is the result of a journey of research and collaboration, bringing together different skills and expertise to create an innovative solution designed to strengthen FirstGlass’s production independence and open up new opportunities for the wine industry.
For FirstGlass, this investment marks a new phase of growth. Above all, it reinforces a belief that has guided the project from the very beginning: innovation has true value when it puts wine quality first.
FirstGlass — A new way to experience Italian wine.
