Jun 23, 2020 | IVES Conference Series, OENO IVAS 2019, Œnological Practices and Process
White wine protein haze can be prevented by removing the grape juice proteins, currently achieved by bentonite addition. To avoid wine volume loss and to minimizes aroma stripping, degrading haze-forming proteins in wine with proteases is a particularly interesting alternative to bentonite. In the present study, two fungal proteases treatments combined with different heating (50, 60, 72 °C) + refreshing steps, were applied on Gewürztraminer grape juice, and compared to bentonite treatments. The impact of these 19 treatments on the wine haze risks was determined by using two heat tests at 50 °C (heating during 30 to 120 min) and 80 °C (heating during 5 to 60 min). The protein contents and compositions were also estimated using the SDS-PAGE + densitometric integration techniques.
Jun 23, 2020 | IVES Conference Series, OENO IVAS 2019, Œnological Practices and Process
The presence of unstable proteins in wines can affect their stability and clarity. Before bottling, winemakers need to be sure that the wine is stable. A large number of stability tests have been proposed, usually based on heating a sample with a specific time-temperature couple. In practice, none is effective to accurately assess the risk of instability. Moreover, the interpretation of the results of these tests changes according to the region.
Jun 23, 2020 | IVES Conference Series, OENO IVAS 2019, Œnological Practices and Process
Bentonite fining is commonly used in oenology to remove all or parts of white wine proteins, which are known to be involved in haze formation. This fining is effective, but has disadvantages: it is not selective, thus molecules responsible for aroma are also removed, it causes substantial volume losses, and finally it generates wastes. Over the last decades, the knowledge of wine proteins has increased: they have been identified, their structures are known, some of them have been crystallized.
Jun 23, 2020 | IVES Conference Series, OENO IVAS 2019, Œnological Practices and Process
Fungal chitosan is a polysaccharide made up of glucosamine and N-acetyl-glucosamine and derived from chitin-glucan of Aspergillus niger or Agaricus bisporus. Fungal chitosan has been authorized as an antiseptic agent in wine since 2009 (OIV) and in organic wine in 2018. At the maximum dose of 10g/hl, it was shown to eliminate Brettanomyces bruxellensis, the main spoilage agent in red wines. Fungal chitosan is highly renewable, biocompatible (ADI equivalent to sucrose) and non-allergenic. However, winemakers often prefer to use sulfites (SO2), though sulfites are classified as priority food allergens, than chitosan. Indeed, many conflicting reports exist regarding its efficiency and its side effects towards beneficial wine microorganisms or wine taste. These contradictions could be explained by the heterogeneity of the fungal chitosan lots traded, the diversity of the wines (chemical composition, winemaking process), but also, by the recently highlighted huge genetic diversity prevailing in wine microbial species.
Jun 23, 2020 | IVES Conference Series, OENO IVAS 2019, Œnological Practices and Process
The tartaric stabilization of wines before bottling to avoid the precipitation of tartaric acid salts is an important and common step during wine production. The presence of precipitated salt crystals in bottle wines is detrimental for their quality and even a legal issue in some countries. Cold stabilization is the most common stabilization treatment. Although it has been shown to be effective, it has some significant disadvantages, mainly regarding losses of color and aromas and its high cost. Therefore, other products and methodologies are being introduced in the wineries for the replacement of this process. Some of these new techniques involve the reduction of the ions causing the insolubilization of tartaric acid while other are based in the formation of protective colloids or the inhibition of the crystallization of salts. In this study, white, rosé and red wines have been treated with carboxymethylcellulose, potassium polyaspartate and an ion exchange resin. The tartaric stability of the wines, together with the oenological, chromatic and sensory characteristics were studied after the wines had been stored during one year in the bottle. The results indicate that the use of carboxymethyl cellulose and potassium polyaspartate maintained the best the sensory and chromatic characteristics and the wine stability of the wines in comparison with an untreated control wine.