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…

Identification of important genomic regions controlling resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in Vitis sp. through QTL meta-analysis

In the context of global change, the environmental conditions are expected to be more stressful for viticulture. The choice of the rootstock may play a crucial role to improve the adaptation of viticulture to new biotic and abiotic threats (Ollat et al., 2016). However, the selection of interesting traits in rootstock breeding programs is complex because of the combination of multiple targets in a same ideotype. In this sense, the integration of studies about the genetic architecture for desired biotic and abiotic response traits allow us to identify genomic regions to combine and those with interesting pleiotropic effects.

Application of antagonistic Metschnikowia strains against Botrytis cinerea in vineyards 

Less and less chemical plant protection products are approved by the E U. Plant pathogenic fungi become increasingly resistant to the active ingredients that have been around for a long time. Besides, there is a valid demand for effective products that can be applied in organic cultivation.
We examined Metschnikowia strains under laboratory conditions in order to find effective strains against B. cinerea. The antimicrobial mechanism of these yeasts is based on the competition for the ferric ions from the environment. Metschnikowia cells release the pulcherriminic acid which chelates with Fe3+, forming the pigment pulcherrimin.

Effect of foliar application of urea and nano-urea on the cell wall of Monastrell grape skins

The foliar application of urea has been shown to be able to satisfy the specific nutritional needs of the vine as well as to increase the nitrogen composition of the must. On the other hand, the use of nanotechnology could be of great interest in viticulture as it would help to slow down the release of urea and protect it against possible degradation. Several studies indicate that cell wall synthesis and remodeling are affected by nitrogen availability.

Grape pomace, an active ingredient at the intestinal level: Updated evidence

Grape pomace (GP) is a winemaking by-product particularly rich in (poly)phenols and dietary fiber, which are the main active compounds responsible for its health-promoting effects. GP-derived products have been proposed to manage cardiovascular risk factors, including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and obesity. Studies on the potential impact of GP on gut health are much more recent. However, it is suggested that, to some extent, this activity of GP as a cardiometabolic health-promoting ingredient would begin in the gastrointestinal tract as GP components (i.e., (poly)phenols and fiber) undergo extensive catabolism, mainly by the action of the intestinal microbiota, that gives rise to low-molecular-weight bioactive compounds that can be absorbed and utilized by the body.

Options to replace or reduce the sulphite content in Tannat red wines produced with minimal intervention

Several Uruguayan wineries have begun to produce wines with minimal intervention, to increase the sustainability of their vineyards and wines. These wines are characterized by the minimum intervention in the management of the vineyard, its harvest, vinification, conservation and aging1,2. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is not used or is used in reduced doses, although chitosan can be substituted or supplemented1. The objective of this research is to evaluate SO2 reduction or replacement options adapted to the production of Tannat red wines with minimal intervention. Vinification of the Tannat grapes with autochthonous yeasts (LN) was carried out during the 2023 vintage.