terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Inert gases persistence in wine storage tank blanketing

Inert gases persistence in wine storage tank blanketing

Abstract

It is common to find tanks in the winery with wine below their capacity due to wine transfers between tanks of different capacities or the interruption of operations for periods of a few days. This situation implies the existence of an ullage space in the tank with prolonged contact with the wine causing its absorption/oxidation. Oxygen uptake from the air headspace over the wine due to differences in the partial pressure of O2 can be rapid, up to 1.5 mL of O2 per liter of wine in one hour and 100 cm2 of surface area1 and up to saturation after 4 hours. The industrial solution consists of inerting the gas space by means of an inert gas blanket to avoid contact with air. This procedure can be done with automatic systems that generate an overpressure of inert gas and are able to respond to variations in the filling level of the tanks. This is not common in most wineries and in order to propose an easy and effective system, nitrogen (N2), argon (Ar), and carbon dioxide (CO2), the commonly used inert gases in the wine industry, together with their mixtures, have been compared. The persistence of a gaseous blanket of the inert gas (O2<0.5%)2 in the ullage space of the tank and its ability to reduce the uptake of atmospheric O2 into the wine were analyzed.

In addition to checking which of the five gases tested provided the best protection over time with a simple application, two different application methods were compared. In a third phase, the economic optimization was studied by reducing the amount of gas on the basis of the ability of almost all of these gases to form blankets due to their higher density than air.

Acknowledgements: ITACyL for their financial support to Actividades de Investigación, Promoción de la Innovación y la Transferencia del Conocimiento en Sectores Estratégicos de Castilla y León: SECTOR VITIVINÍCOLA

1 Peynaud E. (1981) Knowing and Making Wine. Wiley

Dharmadhikkari, M. (2016) Use of Inert Gases. Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

DOI:

Publication date: October 13, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Poster

Authors

Ignacio Nevares*, María Asensio-Cuadrado, Rubén del Barrio-Galán, Elena Pérez-Cardo, Ana Martínez-Gil, Luis Miguel Cárcel and Maria del Alamo-Sanza

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

Contact the author*

Keywords

inert gases, blanketing, oxygen, ullage space

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Effect of riboflavin on the longevity of white and rosé wines

Light is a fundamental part at sales points which influences in the conservation of wines, particularly in those that are sold in transparent glass bottles such as rosé wines and increasingly white wines. The photochemical effect known as “light-struck taste” can cause changes in the aromatic characteristics of the wine. This “light-struck taste” is due to reactions triggered by the photochemical sensitivity of riboflavin (RBF).

Impact of toasting and botanical origin on oak wood (Q. sp.) volatilome using untargeted GCxGC-ToFMS analysis

Many works have been carried out to identify the key aroma volatile compounds of oak wood (e.g., whisky-lactone, furfural, maltol, eugenol, guaiacol, vanillin) using conventional gas chromatography coupled with olfactometry and mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS). Inspired by recent untargeted approaches in the field of food “omics”, this work aims to extend our knowledge on the impact of cooperage process on the volatile composition of oak wood using two-dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-ToFMS).

The colour pattern of flower arrangements influence wine tasters’ sensory description

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.

Reduction of the height of the canopy in fruit set and in pea size: vegetative, productive and maturation effects, in cv. Verdejo

Global warming is accelerating the technological ripening of the grape, with a loss of acidity, which requires that vineyard management can delay ripening to avoid it. The source-sink relation is essential for grape ripening, since it affects the distribution of photosynthates and substances derived from plant metabolism. A work is proposed to know the response of the vineyard to the drastic reduction of the foliar surface by trim down the shoots in cv.

The environmental footprint of selected vineyard management practices: A case study from Logroño (La Rioja) Spain

Viticulture is globally important for socioeconomic and environmental reasons. The EU is globally leading grape and wine production, and Spain is among the top grape and wine producers. As climate change affects viticulture, mitigation and adaptation are crucial for protecting grape production. In this research work, data on viticultural management practices such as soil cultivation, irrigation, energy, machinery, plant protection and the use of fertilizers from vineyards located in Logroño (La Rioja) have been obtained.