The Ned thrives without discounting in 2025
Marisco Vineyards founder Brent Marris notes that when the 2008 global financial crisis hit, The Ned brand was very young, so succumbed to downward price pressure to secure sales volumes.
amaea develops custom-engineered molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with billions of binding sites, to selectively target and capture unwanted molecules, including pyrazines, ethyl phenols, and phenolic compounds, and remove them while preserving the wine's essential varietal character, colour, and flavour.
"This recovers value, saves wine from being downgraded or discarded, and ultimately protects brand integrity," says amaea Chief Executive Aiden Tapping of the technology, which is being used from premium winemakers in New Zealand to top-tier producers in California.
Marisco Vineyards has used the MIPs to remediate a stink bug-affected wine from a block of Pinot Noir in the otherwise "exceptional" 2024 vineyards.
The Australasian green shield bug can create distinctive vegetative aromas in the wines, and the winery used amaea's highly selective MIPs to remove the unwanted molecules responsible for the undesirable traits.
"Having the ability to run wine through MIPs, knowing it won't physically change apart from removing the target molecules, is a massive plus," says winemaker Alun Kilby.
Giesen used amaea technology in place of gelatine to address bitterness in its 0% Merlot.
Consulting winemaker Duncan Shouler, former Director of Winemaking at Giesen Group, says removing alcohol from wine typically makes certain traits and characteristics start to stand out.
"For Merlots, the tannins become prominent, and the warmth and sweetness are lost."
Gelatine is traditionally added to soften phenolic content but isn't vegan-friendly "and isn't entirely selective", he says. "Which means it removes more than is intended. At Giesen, when introduced to amaea PFx, we saw a technique that enabled us to balance polyphenols."
Another New Zealand producer, Cleomont Vineyards, used the technology on a particularly phenolic 2024 Marlborough Pinot Gris.
Owner and winemaker Digger Hennessy used amaea's MIPs to reduce the wine's excessive bitterness and enhance its sweetness, selectively capturing the offending phenolic compounds.
"The wine didn't need a huge treatment. It got rid of the very annoying bitterness on the back palate that we were struggling to get out. The MIP treatment made it a lot smoother and now I'm happy with it."
Over the past year, amaea's technology has been used for remediating 'off' aromas and wines impacted by the likes of frost, pyrazines and Brettanomyces, with more than 50 producers treating more than 1.5 million litres of wine, says Aiden.
"It's fantastic to see the consistent validation from the industry, highlighting the versatility and value of our technology."
