A Serendipitous Discovery
The dyeing technique invented by Tommaso Cecchi De’ Rossi was born from a fortunate accident. While working in his family’s wine cellar during his final year at the University of Florence, a splash of wine making waste stained a leather bag leaving behind vivid, wine-scented marks.
This sparked an idea: could wine by-products be used to dye leather?
What is PELLEVINO treatment
PelleVino is a patented dyeing process that harnesses the natural properties of wine-making waste as both a solvent and a mordant for natural pigments.
Developed over years of experimentation, PelleVino leverages the acidity, tannins, and alcohol content found in wine by-products to bind plant-based dyes to leather and other materials—without the use of water or heat. This cold, waterless method makes PelleVino a truly sustainable and biodegradable alternative to traditional dyeing processes, which often rely on synthetic, polluting mordants.
The result is a material enriched with a deep, organic chromatic range—where the color possibilities are virtually endless, shaped by the type of pigment, the grape variety, and the interaction between the two. Each piece becomes a unique expression of nature’s chemistry, carrying not only color, but also the subtle sensorial traces of its origins.
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Acts as a natural solvent, allowing powdered pigments to dissolve and blend into the liquid solution.
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Enables the color to penetrate deep into the material, ensuring a more lasting and intense dyeing effect.
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Function as a natural mordant, helping to fix the pigment permanently to the surface of the material.
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