What a whiff!

At this time in history when the term 'tampon' evokes a certain sense of unease, we want to associate it instead with the ancient art of wine.

Even in Roman times, it was customary to transport wine in large wooden barrels, which were less fragile than amphorae and allowed long journeys to be made safely.

Naturally, there was a need to equip the barrels with structures to seal the wine contained, and for this purpose sapphires were used, and have long been used.

The zaffo is therefore nothing more than a cone-shaped stopper that was covered with fabric to plug the holes in barrels and vats, and the dictionary also defines it in a medical sense as a gauze pad useful for haemostatic purposes, so much so that - although unusual - there is the expression 'zaffare una ferita' (to blow a wound).

Hence it is only natural that the term 'zaffata' should evoke a good smell of wine and not waves of unpleasant odours, although it is easy to think that the extension of the meaning derives from violent spills of wine from the barrels that will undoubtedly have tested even the most accustomed noses.

A mosaic of historical and semantic tesserae that restores the pleasure of bringing wine closer to tradition and culture.