terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Wine racking in the winery and the use of inerting gases

Wine racking in the winery and the use of inerting gases

Abstract

The O2 uptake in the different winemaking processes is generally considered to be negative for the sensory characteristics of white and rosé wines. Wine racking is a critical point of O2 uptake, as the large surface area of the wine exposed during this operation and the inability to maintain an effective inert gas blanket over it.

The objective was to study O2 uptake during the racking of a model wine without using inert gases and to compare it with the purging of the destination tank with different inert gases. In addition, inert gases were also used to protect the wine in the racking tank by blanketing the wine. Finally, a full-scale inerting study was carried out in a commercial winery during the racking of a white wine to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of different inert gases. Tank ullage space oxygen (HSO) and wine dissolved oxygen (DO) were monitored in different points during the wine racking.

Purging an empty tank with different inert gases was effective being the CO2:Ar (20:80) mixture clearly the most effective, requiring less gas volume to displace O2. The opposite result was found with N2 because it worked in dilution mode. Although from an economic viewpoint, the most recommendable gas was CO2.

The level of protection of the racked wine and the headspace over the racked wine in the empty destination tank differed depending on the gas used and the thickness (% of the tank volume) of the blanket formed with each gas. Based on the results obtained, purging with 25% of the empty tank volume of each inert gas is recommended to protect racked wine in a good cost-benefit way. To keep the headspace of the racking tank inert, blanketing with 50% of tank volume of Ar, CO2 or the mixture of both were sufficient. Applying different volumes of gas had little effect on the DO of the wine at the tank outlet.

Acknowledgements: This research has been funded by ITACyL through a collaboration agreement with the University of Valladolid and the Fundación del Parque Científico de la Universidad de Valladolid. This project has received funding from AEI and Ministry of Science and Innovation MICINN (RTC2019-007319-2 Oxiprestop Project). The authors would like to tank Carburos Metálicos (Air Products group) and IVG Colbachini S.p.A for their material Support.

DOI:

Publication date: October 13, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Poster

Authors

Ignacio Nevares*, Rubén del Barrio Galán, Elena Pérez-Cardo, María Asensio-Cuadrado, Ana Martínez-Gil, Luis Miguel Cárcel, Alberto Gómez, Sonia Villanueva, Julio A. Pinto Solano, Carlos Moro González, and Maria del Alamo-Sanza

Grupo UVaMOX-Universidad de Valladolid. Avda. Madrid 50. 34001 Palencia, Spain

Contact the author*

Keywords

inert gases, racking wine, blanketing, oxygen, purging

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Physicochemical behaviour of wine spirit and wine distillate aged in Sherry Casks® and Brandy casks

Brandy is a spirit drink made from “wine spirit” (<86% Alcohol by Volume – ABV; high levels of congeners and they are mainly less volatile than ethanol), it may be blended with a “wine distillate” (<94.8%ABV; low levels of congeners and these are mainly more volatile than ethanol), as long as that distillate does not exceed a maximum of 50% of the alcoholic content of the finished product[1]. Brandy must be aged for at least 6 months in oak casks with <1000L of capacity. During ageing, changes occur in colour, flavour, and aroma that improve the quality of the original distillate.

Effects of laccase from Botrytis cinerea on the oxidative degradation kinetics of the five natural grape anthocyanins

Enzymatic browning[1] is an oxidation process that occurs in many foods that increases the brown colour[2]. This problem is especially harmful in the wine industry[3]. especially when the grapes are infected by grey rot since this fung release the oxidative enzyme laccase[4]. In the particular case of red wines, the presence of laccase implies the deterioration of the red colour and can even cause the precipitation of the coloring matter (oxidasic haze)[5].

Symbiotic microorganisms application in vineyards: impacts on grapevine performance and microbiome

Microorganism-based inoculants have been suggested as a viable solution to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on viticulture. However, the actual effectiveness of these inoculants when applied under field conditions remains a challenge, and their effects on the existing soil microbiota are still uncertain. This study investigates the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation on grapevine performance and microbiome. The study was conducted in a vineyard of Callet cultivar in Binissalem, Mallorca, Spain. Two different treatments were applied: control and inoculation with commercial mycorrhizae complex of Rhizoglomus irregulare applied to plants through irrigation.

Effects of long-term drought stress on soil microbial communities from a Syrah cultivar vineyard

Changes in the rainfall and temperature patterns affect the increase of drought periods becoming one of the major constraints to assure agricultural and crop resilience in the Mediterranean regions. Beside the adaptation of agricultural practices, also the microbial compartment associated to plants should be considered in the crop management. It is known that the microbial community change according to several factors such as soil composition, agricultural management system, plant variety and rootstock.

Characterization of non-cultivated wild grapevines in Extremadura (Spain) 

Several Eurasian wild grapevine populations were found along Extremadura region (southwestern Spain). For conservation and study, one individual from four different populations (named L1, L2, L5 and L6) was vegetatively propagated and planted at Instituto de Investigaciones Agrarias Finca La Orden (CICYTEX), Badajoz. The aim of the present work was to characterize those conserved individuals from four different populations based on both an ampelographic description and a molecular analysis. Three vines per individual were studied.