I have just written up the wines of Candialle, a Chianti producer run by ex-pat Finnish winegrower Jarkko Peränen. He has been experimenting with a new vessel for fermenting and ageing wine, called Clayver.

First we had oak barrels, then concrete eggs, then back to terracotta, and now? Ceramic balls.

Jarkko has 10% of the world’s production of these balls. They are  made by a Genoa-based engineer, who is a wine freak. The balls are fired at almost twice the temperature of terracotta, and they are completely neutral (small amphorae release some taste to the wine). They are sealed with a heavy glass lid.

Clayver’s allow one-tenth the oxygen transmission that barrels do, and the great thing is that they are priced at just 700 Euros each, although the stands used to support them cost a further 250 Euros. This is (with the stand) just a little more than a good quality barrel, and presumably they last for every – or until you knock them with a fork lift.

As well as the 250 litre balls, you can get slightly larger sizes, which are more of an oval shape. I think they are really interesting, and the shape could be good for fermentation dynamics. So, when we visit wineries, instead of inspecting barrel cellars, we’ll soon be seeing ball halls!