Cellar. Cellar Barrel Maintenance. Malolactic Fermentation Rack & SO2

Transcription

1 Cellar Cellar... Cellar Overview... 2 Tank & Barrel Management... 6 Economics of oak barrels Choosing Oak Barrels Choosing Stainless Steel Tanks, Barrels & Kegs Carboys Barrel Maintenance Malolactic Fermentation... 4 Rack & SO2 42 Elevage... 4 Measuring Chemical Properties Replenishing Sulfur Topping up Example Fining (with egg-whites) Industrial Fining Fining with egg-whites Process Timing Filtering (reverse osmosis).... Basis Concepts 2. Description. Preparation 4. Use for alcohol reduction. Use for VA Reduction 6. Cleaning 7. Regeneration Cold Stabilization Other Adjustments Racking & Blending... 7 Bottling & Labeling Filling the bottles Corking Capping Labelling Bottle Storage Cellar Summaries Vintage 2 Vintage 2 Vintage 22 Vintage 2 Vintage 24 Vintage 2 Vintage page

2 Cellar Overview Cellaring is about aging a Cellaring Process completely fermented young wine until it is mature and, hopefully, drinkable. We cellar the wine in oak barrels for 2- years, then bottle it and then store the bottles for another 2- years until they can start to be consumed. In other words, we start drinking our wine 47 years after the grapes were From Wine Making Malolactic Fermentation Monitor Malolactic Fermentation no Malo complete? Elevage Inspect, top-up, add SO2 Adjustments Filter Need Filtering? yes harvested and we expect it to improve in quality for another - years thereafter. This means we Need Fining? Fine yes Need Cold Stabilisation? Cold-stabilize yes only find out years after harvest and wine making whether we did a good job (we find out much faster when we do a bad job!) thus the Need Other Adjustments? Other Adjustments yes need to keep good records, and the slow learning process. This also translates our annual production of 2 barrels into a required cellaring capacity of 8 barrels and over, bottles (more than we originally anticipated). Cellaring comprises interlinked Rack (& Blend?) Rack (& Blend)? Wait 4-6 weeks Barrel/Tank Management Clean used barrels/tanks stainless steel barrel Blend? Back to barrel(s) Ready to bottle? yes blending tank yes Bottling & Storage Bottling & Labelling yes Store (used) barrels/tanks Buy barrels/tanks Bottle Storage & Maturation Release for consumption tasks: ML: Watching for completion of the Malolactic Fermentation Elevage: Ageing wine in barrels or tanks takes -4 years. During this time the barrels need to be topped up every 4-6 weeks to compensate for evaporation, sulfur needs to be replenished to prevent contamination and adjustments can be made as necessary. Adjustments - there are 4 basic types of adjustments: Filtering, Fining, Cold Stabilization and Racking & Blending. page 2

3 Bottling: When the wine is ready it is bottled, the bottles are corked, capped and labelled and then the wine is aged in the bottles for another 2-4 years before it can be consumed. Barrel/Tank Management is about selecting and buying barrels and tanks, about cleaning them after use (i.e. following a Racking operation) and about storing unused barrels until they are needed again. This section is organized into the following pages:. Barrel & Tank Management: How we select tanks and barrels, how we keep them in good shape and how long we use them. 2. Malolactic Fermentation: Inocculation of the Malolactic Fermentation was covered in the Winery Section, Steps 8-2. This page describes how we monitor the progress and completion of the Malolactic Fermentation in the cellar.. Elevage: We monitor how the wine ages in the barrels or tanks, we top up the barrels as water in wine evaporates through the wood and we replenish the sulfur content to prevent contamination. Every 4-6 weeks when we check, we have the opportunity to make adjustments: Filtering, Fining, Cold Stabilization, Racking & Blending as explained in the following pages. Aging is complete when the wine is judged ready for bottling 4. Filtering: We can filter the wine conventionally to remove large particles, or we can process it through a reverse osmosis filter to remove only the smallest particles.. Fining: We can remove certain chemical substances in the wine by adding specific fining agents which bind to these substances and aggregate into very large molecules which precipitate into a sediment and can then be removed by Racking 6. Cold Stabilization: We can remove certain chemical substances by cooling down the wine to just above df. Keeping the wine at that temperature a few days wll make these chemicals crystalyze and precipitate and can then be removed by Racking. 7. Other Adjustments: This is a grabbag for dealing with other wine-faults 8. Racking & Blending: Racking is syphoning out the wine from a barrel into a temporary holding tank, leaving the sediments behind. Then the sediments are removed, the barrel is cleaned and the wine is poured back in. Racking can be followed by Blending. We can blend wine from different barrels or tanks to create more complex wines or to cover up wine faults which are only apparent in higher concentrations. To blend we rack wine from different tanks or barrels into a blending tank, mix and then poor the mixture back into clean barrels or tanks. page

4 9. Bottling & Labelling: Before we bottle we give the wine a final dose of SO2, then transfer the wine into bottles and cork and cap bottles. Finally we design and print bottle labels and affix them to the bottle. Bottle Storage & Maturation: We store the bottles under temperature and humidity control for a few years until the wine is ready to drink. Cellaring Summaries: a summary of how each vintage was treated in the cellar. The graphic on the right illustrates the differences in the cellaring process across vintages. The days 2 lbs 2 9 days 2 lbs 2 99 days days % NFO 24 8 days 9 days % NFO 2 8 lbs Barrelling bottles Peak Value 22 2 days lbs Vinification 8 4 bottles, Peak Value 29 4% NFO 2 not correlate well with the 7 7 bottles Peak Value 22 8 days 2 lbs number of bottles does 6 days 66% NFO 2 lbs each harvest. Note, the days % NFO lbs the relative size (in lbs) of 4 9 days 4% NFO height of each bar reflects size of the harvest 2 9 days 9 days % NFO Bottle Ageing 9 days Peak Value 4 bottles Peak Value 22 bottles Peak Value 224 bottles, Peak Value bottles, Peak Value 226 Actual Projected because we blended some vintages with purchased fruit (e.g. Merlot) or with wine from previous vintages. The brown and the gray fields reflect the time required for barrel aging and bottle ageing. Note, even after release for consumption, the wine in the bottles continues to improve for for years until it reaches its peack value and thereafter it slowly deteriorates. From harvest to peak value takes 8 to years, the more tannic a wine the longer it takes to reach its full potential. The following graphic illustrates how the different vintages are linked across the elevages as top-up wines are used across vintages and as portions of wine from surplus years (e.g. 22) are used later to compensate for shortages in years when the harvest was not big enough to fill one or two barrels. This tracking is important for determining what the final composition of the wine is when it gets bottled each year. The graphic also shows what adjustments have been made to the wine during elevage. page 4

5 Elevage 29 Wine Making Mixing Tank Neutral French: 8% Freerun gal: Oaked Elevage 2 2 CSV 2 gal: Neutral A gal: Neutral B ½ Neutral American: % Press Topup Tank 9-24 Bottle Ageing 9 Seguin Moreau Select: % Freerun 29 CSV 2 Topup Tank - Bottle Ageing SanMartin: % Freerun Wine Making Mixing Tank Seg Mor. Icone: 8% Freerun 2 gal: 2 CSV 7 bottles Barrel Ageing 2 CSV Wine Making RadouxEV Bottle Ageing 9 gal: 2 66%CSV-%Merl 4 bottles Mixing Tank SanMartin gal 22 Merl Bargetto Elevage 22 Wine Making Neutral RadouxEV SKeg /2NF 22 Merl JimBarth Carboy: 2Merl gal Bottle Ageing Pressr TopupT -2 SegMor Icone Wine Making 22 CSV Mixing Tank 9 SegMor Select gal: 2 88%CSV 2%Merl 4 bottles 2 gal Pressr TopupT 2CS-M Pressr TopupT 6 gal Elevage 2 RadTR Wine Making 2 CSV SegMor Icone Adjustments 2nd ML Inocculation 2 gal Elevage CSV Eggwhite Fining Cold Stabilization Wine Making 4 RadEv RadEv: 4CSV RadEv 4 RadEv: 7%4CSV - 2%CSV %2MerlJB Filtering Wine Making Acidification 2 CSV 8 gal Deacidification Elevage 2 Wine Making SegMor Icone Wine Making Copper Racking As mentioned above, the individual vintages are reviewed in more detail in the Cellar Summaries page. Here is a link to a pdf-file of the Cellar section. Previous page: Home Top of page: Go Next page: Tank & Barrel Management Last updated: December, 2 page

6 Tank & Barrel Management Wine is usually cellared in stainless steel or concrete tanks, oak barrels and glass or plastic (polyethylene) containers. We use: Steel tanks and steel barrels for mixing and transferring wine: They are easy to clean and maintain and they last forever. Oak and steel barrels for maturing wine: Oak barrels, up to -4 years old, add desireable flavors and tannins to the wine. Beyond that age they are called neutral. The advantage of oak barrels, in addition to adding flavors, is that they breathe: they allow a very slow oxidation from air that enters through the wood; thus they evaporate liquids and therefore need to be topped up every -2 months. A similar effect can be achieved in steel tanks by inserting oak staves or chips and by injecting oxygen at a very slow and controlled rate (micro-oxidation) Specialty steel tanks and glass containers for keeping odd lots and top-up wine. They are easy to clean and come in various sizes (glass carboys) or have adjustable volume (steel tanks with variable tops or pressurized inert gas covers). We currently don t use concrete tanks (because they are hard to move), plastic containers (although they are tempting because they are easy to clean and very versatile) or microoxidation systems (too expensive). Economics of oak barrels For large wineries, stainless steel tanks are hands-down the most economical solution because they come in very large sizes and are easy to clean and maintain. Only commercial wineries which can charge over $4 retail per bottle tend to use new oak barrels. A new -gallon oak barrels costs between $ (for American and East European varieties) and $2 (for French varieties) and they add desireable flavors to the wine for -4 years; thereafter they are called neutral and trade for $-$ in the secondary market. Neutral barrels, when properly maintained can last over a decade. New -gallon stainless steel barrels cost $-7 and last forever. So, using new French oak barrels for every vintage would cost around $2/gallon or $./bottle. We use a mixture of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels % new and page 6

7 % neutral, so our average cost is below $2/bottle or less than the combined cost of the glass bottle, cork and label. Choosing Oak Barrels When you go to wine equipment shows, barrel makers have the fanciest booths and spend the most on brand marketing. That is because the characteristics of barrels are hard to measure and much depends on individual taste and image. On top of the difficulty to quantify qualities, research studies indicate that characteristics of the same type of barrels from the same manufacturer vary widely. We buy maximum two new barrels a year, consequently we have no opportunity to test a wide range. So we decided, rather arbitrarily, to concentrate buying our barrels from Radoux, one of the large, well regarded French Tonneliers. They supply French, East European and American oak barrels. We tried a couple of barrels from Seguin Moreau, but found them to impart too intense flavors. American oak, as compared to French oak, imparts different flavors and has a slightly higher oxygen transfer rate (see page on Elevage). As these comments indicate, we conservatively end up buying from an established large supplier not much analysis or research involved here. Choosing Stainless Steel Tanks, Barrels & Kegs Stainless steel containers are made to individual specifications by specialty manufacturers or bought from cataloges according to standard sizes and specifications. We are using 4 types of stainless steel containers: Mixing and settling tanks can hold the contents of multiple barrels and are used to mix different barrels or hold young wine for a short period to settle out suspended particles. The wine is prevented from coming in contact with oxygen by a floating blanket of a heavier than air inert gas; we use Argon. These tanks have large openings on top and on the side so they can be cleaned easily. We use a round stationary 2 gallon mixing tank (made to order by Santa Rosa Stainless Steel) and another square 2 gallon mixing tank (ordered from Metalcraft ) which can be raised with a hydrolic forklift. page 7

8 Storage & transfer barrels can hold or gallons of wine and are used to hold wine while a barrel is cleaned or for ageing without exposure to oak and oxygen (unless oak chips or staves are used or oxygen is infused with micro-ox equipment). We bought our & gallon transfer barrels from XXXXX. Variable top tanks are designed to hold variable amounts of wine. Their top floats on the surface of the wine in the container and is sealed with an inflatable gasket to prevent exposure to air. We use them for small batch fermentations and, in the past, to hold odd amounts of young wine set aside for topping-up barrels. We bought our & 2 liter variable-top tanks from Fermentation Solutions. Pressurized kegs are designed to hold variable amounts of wine (usually - gallons). The wine is kept under slight pressure of an inert gas (e.g. Argon). We use them to hold young wine set aside for topping up barrels. We bought our two gallon kegs and associated piping from St. Patrick of Texas. All of our tanks and barrels are on dollies so they can be moved around easily and they are designed so they can be lifted (by hoists or forklift) in order to move the contents by gravity instead of pumps. Carboys Carboys are glass containers that usually come in 4,, 6 & 7 gallon sizes. We use them to hold odd lots of excess wines. They always need to be filled to the top to prevent the contents to be exposed to air. Barrel Maintenance Barrels need proper maintenance. They must be humidified properly to tighten up before first use, they must be cleaned regularly of sediments and wine spoilage organisms and they must be store properly when not full with wine. Cleaning methods page 8

9 Cleaning is about removing sediments settling at the bottom of the barrel and about killing wine spoilage microorganisms (bacteria and fungi, mostly hiding in crevices and near the top of the barrel). There are for basic methods of cleaning: Water: spraying the inside of barrels with cold or warm/hot water is the most common method of washing out crud and sediments, but it is not very effective in removing spoilage microorganisms Sulfur Dioxide: Barrels can be washed out with a solution of SO2 or KMBS (potassium metabisulfite which when dissolved in water creates molecular SO2 which is a dissolved gas) or they can be gassed by burning a pure elemental sulfur wick. Sulfur is cheap and pretty effective against wine spoilage microorganisms but it is toxic when inhaled. Steam: Barrels can be steamed to wash out and kill microrganisms. Steam is very effective to clean, but it is expensive to apply (equipment) and it only works for a short time while hot as soon as the steam cools down, new microorganisms can resettle Ozone: Barrels can be washed out with water containing Ozone molecules O which are very effective in killing all kinds of harmful microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and biofilms). This requires an ozone generator and diffusor. The disadvantage of Ozone are: it deactivates fairly quickly, it is pretty harsh on anything containing rubber (gaskets, seals etc) and should only be used in a well ventlated areas as it can be toxic when inhaled in quantities above.2 miligram ozone per cubic meter of air.. What we do when Here is our current barrel maintenance practice: Initialization: before we use new barrels we fill them with filtered warm water (stripped of clorine and contaminants found in regular drinking water) and let the stave soak up and tighten. This takes a few days. Then they are rinsed out with the barrel washer (see below) and immediately filled with new wine. Regular cleaning between uses, at racking. We wash barrels with a specially built washing aparatus. It first removes residues with a sprayer applying warm water until the water runs clear. Then we spray out the barrel with cold ozonated water and we clean around the bung-hole with KMBS spray. To conserve water, a basin under the barrel catches the outflow and a pump circulates the water back through a prayer inside the page 9

10 barrel. For the ozone treatment a bubbler fed by the ozone generator is placed inside the barrel. Storing used barrels: if a barrel is not refilled with wine after washing we burn a sulfur pill inside and close it so the trapped SO2 prevents the growth of new microorganisms. The burning pill is held in the center of the barrel in a small stainless steel basket suspended from the bung hole.the burning is repeated evey 4-6 months if barrel storage is extended. Before the barrel is reused it is washed inside with the barrel washer (see above) and outside with a steam power washer used for general cleaning of the steel tanks, destemmer and the press. The pictures show the the barrel washer, the steam pressure washer and sulfur pill holder. with the ozone generator and the steam power washer. Previous page: Cellar Overview Top of page: Go Next page: Malolactic Fermentation Last updated: November 24, 2 page 4

11 Malolactic Fermentation Malolactic Fermentations takes between 2 and 9 months and their progress can be measured by tracking the concentrations of malic and lactic acids. This can be done by paper chromatography which shows whether all malic acids have been transformed (see Laboratory section) or by tests with more expensive equipment usually outsourced to commercial laboratories. During this fermentation the temperature should be kept at around 7 F and it can help to stir up the sediments bi-weekly, at least in the beginning. Because the cellar is kept at - of the barrels with wine undergoing malolactic fermentation need to be kept in a separate compartment and slightly heated. For this we added an electric heating pad to the barrel trolley which is controlled by a temperature sensor in the wine barrel and a temperature sensitive switch. Thus following inoculation with lactic bacteria, we have a monthly process (which coincides with the regular cellar monitoring process of the older wine still in barrels as described in the Barrel Ageing page): Open the vessels and stir the lees (dead yeast cells and other sediments) Take samples and top up the barrels with wine from the topup tank Taste and measure temperature, ph, TA, Phenolics & occasionally Malic Acids In the past we used a paper chromatography test every month or two confirm completion of the malolactic fermentation. This proved to be too time consuming. We now use an approximate test with the Accuvin test kit and outsource the test to Fermentation Solutions which has an Oenofoss spectral tester (see Laboratory section) page 4

12 Rack & SO2 Once the Malolactic fermentation is completed we rack again, as before, but this time extend the measurements to include Total Acidity, Volatile Acidity and % Alcohol The final racking is done into the cellar where ambient temperatures are stable around - F. Next we protect the young wine by adding SO2. How this is done is described in the Laboratory Section on page Measuring and Adding SO2. Previous page: Tank & Barrel Management Top of page: Go Next page: Elevage Last updated: December 22, 2 page 42

13 Elevage The term Elevage comes from French and in this case relates to maturing or growing up. Wine is kept in oak barrels, steel tanks and carboys for -4 years to settle and mature. We mature our wine in new and used ( neutral ) oak barrels for 2-4 years. The new oak imparts desireable flavors and allows the intake of a small amount of oxygen (around 4g O2 per barrel per year) this combination helps in the polymerization of tannins and anthocyanins and improves the quality of the wine. During elevage the wine needs to be checked regularly for changes in key chemical properties and possible infections by spoilage organisms (creating wine faults ). Barrels also need to be topped up regularly because wine evaporates through the wood staves. However, there is a trade-off: each time a container is opened, the wine gets exposed to oxygen and microbes in the air with the potential for spoilage. We open each barrel every -2 months, taste and measure the chemical properties and spectra and then decide whether we need to make adjustments (filtering, fining, cold stabilization, other adjustments or racking/blending each discussed in the following pages). The following picture shows from left to right tasting, chemical testing and spectral analysis. After adjustments have been made, if any, SO2 is replenished, and the barrel is topped up, and closed. The right amount of SO2 controls spoileage organisms and excess oxygen otherwise their joint presence would tend to convert ethanol into acetaldehyde, creating a severe wine fault. Measuring Chemical Properties The extracted sample is tested and the results recorded in a spreadsheet which also calculates the required (if any) addition of SO2 in the form of KMBS (Potassium Metabisulfite). The tests are described in detail on the respective pages in the Laboratory section of the website. page 4

14 . Look, Nose & Taste: most important is to inspect the wine surface for film and smell and taste the wine to check for any irregularities or faults this is done right after the barrel is opened. 2. Dissolved Oxygen (see page on measuring Dissolved Oxygen). Acidity: ph, (see page on measuring ph) 4. Free Sulfur Dioxide: Free SO2 (see page on measuring Free SO2). Total Acidity: TA (see page on measuring Total Acidity) 6. Volatile Acidity: VA (see page on measuring Volatile Acidity) 7. Alcohol (see page on measuring Alcohol) 8. UV-Vis Spectrum to measure Phenolics: (see page on Measuring Phenolics in Wine) We don t run all the tests all the time on each vessel. The most important are Nose & Taste to check for faults and ph & SO2 to calculate necessary additions of Metabisulfite. If tasting or any of the tests reveal potential faults we need to make corrections / adjustments. Sometrimes we bring samples to Fermentation Solutions to run a OenoFoss battery of tests because we want to double check our own results or we need additional tests which we are not equipped to run in our own lab (like: malic and lactic acids, sugar composition) Replenishing Sulfur The level of free SO2 which defines whether sulfur (in the form of KMBS - Potassium Metabisulfite) needs to be added. See Adding SO2 on the page Steps -: Upfront Wine Making Decisions in the Winery Section. If KMBS needs to be added, this is done after adjustments have been made and is combined with topping up as KMBS needs to be first dissolved in a small amount of wine. Topping up Oak barrels need to be topped up regularly because a small amount of wine (called angels share ) evaporates through the staves. The evaporation rate is usually around % p.a., depending on the humity in the cellar. Wine components inside the barrel migrate through the wood at various rates and evaporate from the outside surface. Assuming the migration rates of the liquid components (say 87% water and % alcohol) depend mostly on the differences in concentrations between the inside and outside of the barrel, the alcohol concentration in the page 44

15 wine changes. We keep the cellar at around % humidity, so the concentration differences are 27% for water and % for alcohol (assuming the alcohol in the cellar air is zero). Therefore at % cellar humidity water leaves the barrel twice as fast as alcohol, and the % annual evaporation consists of approximately 9% water and 7% alcohol. If you start the year with L wine at % alcohol, then you end the year with 87-%*9 = 84.2L of water and -%*7 = 2.89l of alcohol and the new alcohol concentration in the remaining 97.9L of wine is 2.89 / 97.9 =.27%, an increase of.27%. This calculation illustrates why barrel cellars should be kept humid. For topping up we use an system based on kegs sold by St. Patricks of Texas ( The wine is stored in a stainless steel keg and preserved under minimally pressurized Argon. The system has a dispenser / topping gun which allows to easily top up barrels and carboys with minimal exposure to air while keeping the wine reserve sealed. We extended the setup sold by St. Patrick s to two kegs to allow dispensing different top-up wines and we adjusted the inert gas injection. Whenever we refill the kegs or open them up for inspection, we need to close the keg and replace the air with Argon. This is done in cycles: first extractig the air with a vacuum pump and then filling the vacuum with Argon; then twice extracting the Argon/air mix and refilling with Argon. After cycles the gas above the wine should be close to % Argon. Example Following is an example of a monitoring exercise done in February 24. The tests were run on two different dates (Feb & Feb 4) and took around 8 hours. In addition we double checked our lab results with tests done on an OenoFoss Analyzer at Fermentation Solutions. page 4

16 Cellar Monitor - Feb -4, 24 measurements sample # Vintage Variety Container calculations Composition gallons Label 2//24 2/4/24 2 CSVs 2 2 CS CS RadEvRM+ SMIcone 2//24 22 CSVs 4 CS Var-Top S 8% % 8% % press press 2/4/24 2//24 2/4/24 22 Mer 22- Mix 2 CSV CS CS CS SegMorIc 9SegMorML Carboy M N & 2yFr 8f 8p 2// CS & M CS & M S-Top-up S-Top-up 2 CS SMartM+ 2 CS topup 2 CS topup + JB's 22 + JB's 22 Merlot Merlot 7% % press 6 Mix-2TupF Mix-2TupP CSA2y 2 CSV 2 29 CSV reference 29 CS CS9Fne CS bottled CS bottled % press % % 4% press % press % from Bargetto CSFne CSF2y 2 CSTup CS2Fne CS2F2y CS2Tup M2Fy Rott Egg fizzy, slight H2S slight H2S slight film sour? film ok ok CSV29O. CSV29O Dissolved Oxygen DO (mg/l, ppm) Sensory Look Nose (, not) Palate (, not) Topup Topup wine Topup Amount (L) CSV29O CSV29O CSV29O 2. CSV29O 2.4 Acidity ph Chateau Hetsakais Lab (ab) Total Acidity Titrate start (ml) end (ml) TA (g/ml) Volatile Acidity Titrate with NaOH: start (ml) end (ml) Titrate with Iodine: start (ml) end (ml) VA (mg/l) Free SO2 Titrate start (ml) end (ml) Free SO2 (mg/l, ppm). 8.8 NM NM Required free SO2 to reach molecular SO2 of NM NM NM NM NM NM NM NM NM NM NM NM.76 6g KMBS.8 4g KMBS..g KMBS.64 no KMBS add because ML reinoc.78.8g KMBS.6.6g KMBS.8 g KMBS NM NM.g KMBS Required KMBS add to reach molecular SO2 of..4. Required KMBS add (grams) for barrelling ACTION add Alcohol % WineXray Fermentation Solutions OenoFoss Results Wine ph: Total Acidity in g/l: Total Acidity in %: Malic Acid in g/l: Lactic Acid g/l: Alcohol by Volume in %: Glucose g/l: Fructose g/l: Volatile Acidity in g/l: Density g/ml: Phenolics Total Anthocyanins Free Anthocyanins Bound Anthocyanins Tannins Total IRBs Spectral Density Averages ab 2 Vintage CSFne CS2Fne CSA2y CSF2y CS2F2y Mix-2TupF CSTup CS2Tup.. 4 wavelength (nm) 7. CS Mix-2TupP M2Fy. 2 4 wavelength (nm) 7 page 46 CS9Fne & 2 Vintages 2 Vintage 22 Vintage. 2 4 wavelength (nm) wavelength (nm) 7

17 As an illustration, the insights from this particular set of tests were: We needed to add Sulfur to samples #-6 and #7-9 as indicated We topped up all barrels. The taste tests indicated slight faults for samples #2 (2 CabSauv barrel) and #&6 (22 CabSauv barrel and carboy). We decided to wait before taking action. The high Malic Acid levels in samples #,2 indicated that the malolactic fermentation had not succeeded. It appeared that the bacteria we used did not work with the low ph of the wine, so we reinocculated with a more low-ph resistant malolactic bacteria Similarly sample #7 (22 Merlot) had still not completed malolactic fermentation. So we first adjusted the ph up to. by adding 2g of Potassium Carbonate and reinocculated with another malolactic bacteria. The alcohol level for samples # & 2 seemed too different indicating a sampling or measurement error The very high Anthocyanin levels in samples #- (2 CabSauv) confirmed the superior quality of the 2 vintage (note the difference in the spectral density graphs) Previous page: Malolactic Fermentation Top of page: Go Next page: Fining Last updated: December 22, 2 page 47

18 Fining (with egg-whites) Fining is about extracting selected chemical compounds from wine. It works by adding a fining agent which binds to that compond and then precipitates so the sediment can be removed by racking. There are two kinds of fining agents: some hold an electrical charge which attracts large particles with the opposite charge, others form a chemical bond with selected large particles. In large commercial wineries fining has become a sophisticated industrial process quite an evolution from fining with egg-whites practiced for over a hundred years. Industrial Fining With the industrialization of wine making we have seen a proliferation of fining agents developped and marketed by specialty chemical companies to adjust a wine for a plethora of faults. The table on the right, extracted from the November 2 Newsletter by Enartis-Vinquery ( ) highlights the large number of the fining agents they currently suggest for different effects. Fining has has a long tradition, especially in the Bordeaux. There, egg-whites had been used for decades to tame strong tannins, reduce astringency and give the wine a rounder mouthfeel. Recently in Europe, however, regulation has been passed that forces wine-makers to disclose on the bottle label any addition of animal products e.g. egg whites, while the same disclosure requirement does not apply to industrial fining agents. The consequence is that egg-whites are beeing replaced by industrially produced albumin which represents the key fining agent in egg-whites. page 48

19 To date we have not used any industrially produced fining agents. We have opted for fining with egg-whites only once: to contain the harsh tannins and astringency in the over-extracted 2 vintage. Fining with egg-whites Egg-whites are one of the oldest fining agents. The positively charged peptide linkages of the albumin and globulin proteins form hydrogen bonds with negatively charged hydroxyl groups found on large tannins. Once the two attach, they become neutralized and the particles settle, due to their heavier weight. Process: The egg-whites need first to be separated from the egg-yokes. Then the egg-whites (one third) are mixed with a.7% salt water solution (two thirds) because globulin is only soluble in salted water. Then he solution is added to the wine and stirred in well. Finally, a week later, the wine is racked. Timing: The opinions on when to fine vary. Some argue red wines should be fined and racked just before assemblage and bottling; others argue red wines should be fined right after malolactic fermentation is completed. We tried egg-white fining for the first time in spring of 2 right before bottling on the 2 vintage. Time will tell. The optimal Dosage varies anywhere between and 6 egg-whites per barrel. So first we need test for the optimal dosage. We do this by tasting liter samples of wines at concentrations equivalent to, and egg-whites per barrel. We call these samples E-wine, E-wine and Ewine respectively. Because the amount of egg-whites needed for liter is so small we first create a wine which has a concentration of 22 egg-whites per barrel (22E-wine) and then dilute it down. This is the process we use to prepare the samples:. Mix egg-white (~2 g) with 6 ml of water with.6g of salt and stir well (the Esolution ); the total is ~9 g. 2. Pour 4. g of E-solution into 4ml of unfined-wine to get the 22E-wine. Mix 4ml of 22E-wine with 9 ml of unfined wine to get a l sample of a E-wine 4. Mix 4 ml of 22E-wine with 8 ml of unfined wine to get a l sample of a E-wine. Mix 24 ml of 22E-wine with 7 ml of unfined wine to get a l sample of a E-wine page 49

20 We then compare the samples daily for 6 consecutive days and select the solution which tastes best. For more background on fining with egg-whites consult the following links: start at minute 4. Previous page: Elevage Top of page: Go Next page: Filtering (reverse osmosis) Last updated: November 27, 2 page

21 Filtering (reverse osmosis) Filtering seperates a solution into two parts: the Permeate is the part which passes through (permeates) the filter, the Retenate is the part which is retained by the filter. In conventional filtering the Retenate is the part which is to be taken out and the Permeate is the part to be kept. It is used for removing large particles in a solution which do to not easily settle (and can be taken out as sediment). In reverse osmosis filtering the Permeate is the part to be taken out and the Retenate is the part to be kept. It is used for removing the smallest atoms or molecules in a solution. The challenge in all filtering is the clogging up of the filter membrane. In conventional filtering it is solved by replacing or scraping the filter when that happens. In reverse osmosis filtering, clogging is prevented by moving the solution at high speed tangentially along the filter surface under high pressure (thus it s other name: Cross-Flow Filtering). Clark Smith patented the use of reverse osmosis filtering in 992 for the removal of Volatile Acidity and for alcohol reduction in wine. Since then reverse osmosis or cross-flow filtering has become widely used and many large wine equipment manufacturers and consultants sell or rent the equipment. The smallest viable cross-flow filter on the market today is the Sweetspotter by VA Filtration in Napa,CA ( ). We are currently experimenting with their smallest model the SS4--. The remainder of this page is organized as follows: Basic Concepts: explains how we use the Sweetspotter for finding the optimal alcohol level in wine and for reduction of Volatile Acidity. Description: shows the internal logic of the Sweetspotter in a flow diagram and provides pictures Preparation: describes how the Sweetspotter is rinsed before use Use for Alcohol Reduction: describes how the Sweetspotter is used for reducing alcohol Use for VA Reduction: describes how the Sweetspotter is used for reduction of Volatile Acidity. Cleaning: explains how the Sweetspotter is rinsed, cleaned and filled before storing Regeneration: explains how the ph Column and the Anion Exchange Column are refreshed or regenerated. page

22 . Basis Concepts The basic idea behind a reverse osmosis or cross-flow filter is a mechanism to remove the smallest particles in a solution. The solution is moving sideways under high pressure past a filter with very small pores. The continuous flow prevents the larger particles from clogging up the filter and the high pressure pushes the small particles through the filter. The small particles in this application are water molecules (H2O), small alcohol molecules (ethanol) and small acid molecules (acetic acid). The other molecules which make up the wine are much larger and remain behind the membrane. We use the Sweetspotter for reducing the ethanol concentration (i.e. alcohol) and removing Volatile Acidity (i.e. acetic acid) from the wine. Reducing Alcohol: In many regions in California grapes get more sunshine hours and warm weather days combined with cool nights than say in the Bordeaux. Consequently the grapes can be picked at higher maturity levels which generally implies higher sugar levels. On one hand the higher maturity levels translate into better phenolics and more fruit-forward wines; on the other hand the higher sugar levels translate into more alcohol. Thus the demand for alcohol reduction. Studies have shown that a wine with a given alcohol level of say % may have alcohol sweetspots, that is a significantly better nose and taste at specific lower alcohol levels (say at 2.%,.% and 4.6%). To find these sweetspots a sample is taken from the wine and the alcohol in the sample is reduced from say % to 2%. Then taste test samples are created in.% alcohol increments from 2% to % by mixing the reduced alcohol sample with the original in the required ratio and all samples are tasted. Alcohol can be removed with a reverse osmosis membrane and a distiller. The membrane has very small pores so small that only the smallest molecules can pass through. The first step extracts a combination of water and alcohol (the Permeate ) from the wine; the left over Retenate is essentially the same wine with now lower alcohol, and less water. The second step is to distill the Permeate, i.e. removing the alcohol from the water with a distiller. The third step is to recombine the remaining water left in the distiller with the Retenate. The challenge in this process is distillation; it requires a government license which is hard to get. In the absence of such a license, the options are: a) to outsource the process to somebody who has the license, or b) to simply add distilled water back in the amount of the Permeate (but this is not permitted for commercial wineries) page 2

23 Correcting Excessive Volatile Acidity: Volatile Acidity refers to the steam distillable acids in wine. They consist mostly of acetic acid (CHCOOH) which gives vinegar its characteristic aroma and is therefore considered a fault in wine at a concentration above ppm (the legal limit is 2-4 ppm). Volatile acids are mostly formed a) by yeasts during fermentation and b) by spoilage organisms (Acetobacter plus air, or lactic acid bacteria) during fermentation and aging. Acetic acids are very small molecules; they can be removed in three steps. The first step extracts a combination of water, alcohol and acetic acids (the Permeate ) from the wine through a cross-flow filter - the left over Retenate is essentially the same wine with now lower alcohol, less water and less acetic acids. The second step binds the acetic acids in the Permeate to a resin in an anion exchange column leaving only the water and the alcohol. The third step is to recombine what remained (water & alcohol) in the Permeate with the original wine. 2. Description The following diagram describes the flows inside a Sweetspotter. A pump delivers the wine to an Intensifier that increases the pressure in the wine flowing past the membrane (when the Back Pressure is closed) to -7 psi. At this high pressure and with constant flow, the smallest particles pass through the membrane and constitute the Permeate. The Permeate then can then be either collected at for alcohol reduction, or flowed through various filters which take out the acetic acids before it is recombined with the wine. page

24 High Pressure Filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Main Switch Flow Meter Hour Meter y 6 Wine In Cleaning Port Back Pressure Cleaning Port Wine Out x Inlet Strainer Pump 4 Intensifier BFP 2b 2a The following picture shows on the left the sweetspotter from the top and from the front and, on the right, the VA Coulmn and the auxilliary pump: page 4

25 . Preparation The sweetspotter is a) either stored long term with a % ethanol solution or b) stored short term with a % solution of citric acids and sulfur (in the form of KMBS, potassium metabisulfite) inside the reverse osmosis filter, the main pump, the intensifier and the pipes and hoses. This prevents the growth of spoilage organisms inside the machine during storage. The anion exchange column is stored with KOH, potassium hydroxide, inside. Before use, the sweetspotter and the anion exchange column need to be rinsed. This section describes the rinsing process to be followed before first use or between treatments of different wines If the sweetspotter has been stored for long term with ethanol, it needs to be blown out and the ethanol stored for reuse; then the rinsing continues the same as when stored for short term. This initial rinsing consist of cycles: cold water rinse, followed by % citric acid rinse (.lbs citric in gal water), followed by another cold water rinse. Each rinse follows the same process: Place end of Wine Inlet hose into gal bucket containing cold water or citric acid Place end of Wine Outlet hose into empty gal bucket Turn so it points open ended tube into catch bucket Open Back Pressure on Intensifier (2 turns counter-clockwise) Turn on Main Switch and rinse for minutes Close Back Pressure on Intensifier (2 turns clockwise) for 2 minutes to insure complete water rinsing, then open again and let run until water exiting Wine Outlet Hose is free of taste when rinsing with water Cross-Flow Filter Pressure Gage Main Switch Permeate Retenate Hour Meter y 6 Wine In Back Cleaning Port Pressure Flow Meter Cleaning Port Wine Out x Inlet Strainer Intensifier Pump 4 gal cold water or citric acid BFP 2b 2a Switch Auxiliary Pump gal cold water Anion Exchange Column page

26 If the system is used for VA reduction, the Anion Exchange column needs to be rinsed:. Blow out at - psi then rinse until water exiting the column has reached a ph of.. 2. Check that the column is full using the bleeder valve on top 4. Use for alcohol reduction The first step in alcohol reduction is to collect a required amount of Permeate in a collection bucket. The system is started up as follows:. Place end of Wine Inlet hose into the barrel to be treated 2. Leave end of Wine Outlet hose in an empty gal bucket. Check the valve positions: a. so Permeate can flow into collection bucket. Note, the hose needs to be taped to the bucket because pulsation will otherwise dislocate it. b. Back Pressure : open (2 turns counter-clockwise, if closed) 4. Turn on Main Switch (turns on Pump). Watch for wine exiting Wine Outlet hose into bucket (this takes ~ seconds). As soon as wine is tasted at Wine Outlet hose, turn off Main Switch, place end of Wine Outlet hose into barrel and turn on Main Switch again 6. With wine flowing again, close Back Pressure (turn clockwise thumb tight) and watch flow in Flow Meter. 7. System will pulse as pressure builds up. Watch the Pressure Gauge; pressure should not exceed 7 psi; if it does, shut the system off and clean the Cross-Flow filter. 8. Taste liquid exiting for alcohol. When alcohol is tasted, the rinsing water has been flushed out and the Permeate can be collected. Change the bucket, and again tape the hose to the bucket. Put a hydrometer in the bucket and monitor the average alcohol concentration. page 6

27 Cross-Flow filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Hour Meter Main Switch y 6 Wine In Cleaning Port Cleaning Port Back Pressure x Inlet Strainer Pump 4 Intensifier Flow Meter Wine Out BFP 2b 2a Wine Barrel The system is kept running until enough Permeate is collected to reduce the alcohol in the wine to the target level. If the alcohol concentration in the Permeate is roughly the same as the starting alcohol level in the wine and the flow rate of the Permeate is gal/hr then a % reduction in the alcohol concentration of the wine (say from % to.%) should take only 6 gallons of Permeate to be replaced with distilled water. Under normal circumstances the Permeate flow is ~7 gal/hr, the Retenate Flow is ~7 gal/hr. Process recording: The following should be measured and recorded every or minutes: a) Retenate pressure, b) Permeate Flow, c) Alcohol concentration in Permeate retained, d) Cumulative volume of retained Permeate. At the end of the Permeate production cycle, the system needs to be flushed out with Nitrogen or Argon so as to reduce the loss of wine, Retenate and Permeate. This is done as follows Open the Back Pressure to reduce the pressure in the cross-flow filter Turn off the main switch to stop the pump Disconnect the Wine-In hose, attach a Nitrogen or Argon tank instead and blow out the Pump and Intensifier at 2 psi until no more wine comes out of the Wine-Out return hose. Disconnect the Nitrogen tank from the Wine-In port and attach it to the Cleaning Port on the ingoing side. Attach a hose to the Cleaning Port outgoing side which leads to a collection bottle for the Retenate and open page 7

28 Open the pressure on the Nitrogen or Argon tank to 2 psi, then open 6 to flush out the Retenate side of the cross-flow filter. Close to fill the Retenate side with gas and flush out the Permeate side of the cross-flow filter. Cross-Flow filter Pressure Gage Main Switch Permeate Retenate Hour Meter y 6 Cleaning Port Back Pressure Wine In Flow Meter Cleaning Port Wine Out x Inlet Strainer Pump Intensifier BFP Wine Barrel 4 2b 2a Nitrogen or Argon Cylinder Now the wine, Permeate and Retenate are flushed out, the system is full of inert gas and is ready for rinsing and cleaning.. Use for VA Reduction Acetic acids are very small molecules; they can be removed in three steps. The first step extracts a combination of water, alcohol and acetic acids (the Permeate ) from the wine through a Cross-Flow filter (the left over Retenate is essentially the same wine, but now with lower alcohol, less water and less acetic acids). The second step first reduces the ph in a ph Column and then binds the acetic acid in the Permeate to a VA resin in an anion exchange column leaving only the water and the alcohol. Getting down to the nitty gritty, the VA resin is designed to remove molecular acetic and not the ionic form acetate ion. When the Permeate entering the cartridges has a ph approaching 4, that Permeate needs to be run through a ph correction cartridge first, followed by the VA resin. This increases the removal rate of VA from the wine. The reason is: as the Permeate hits the resin, the ph increases due to residual KOH. As the ph increases to 4.7, the amount of molecular acetic to acetate is to. At this point, it is typical to only see a % reduction in the level of VA from the Permeate. If the phc resin is used first, this lowers the Permeate ph to less than, and when it hits the resin it remains fairly low resulting in a higher concentration of page 8

29 molecular acetic, which then gets adsorbed on the resin. The result of the phc is also to balance out the ph change in the wine. The third step is to recombine what remains (water & alcohol) in the Permeate with the original wine. The VA Reduction Startup Process is:. Place end of Wine Inlet hose into the barrel to be treated 2. Leave end of Wine Outlet hose in empty gal bucket. Insert ph Column into filter housing and connect the VA Column at 2 and and check the positions a. so Permeate flows into collection bucket b. 2a so Permeate can flow into ph Column c. 2b so ph adjusted Permeate flows to the VA column d. 4 so treated Retenate flows into collection bucket e. Back Pressure : open (2 turns counter-clockwise, if closed) 4. Turn on Main Switch (turns on Pump). Watch for wine exiting Wine Outlet hose into bucket (this takes ~ seconds) 6. As soon as wine is tasted at Wine Outlet hose, turn off Main Switch, place end of Wine Outlet hose into barrel and turn on Main Switch again 7. With wine flowing again, close Back Pressure (turn clockwise thumb tight) and watch flow in Flow Meter. System will pulse as pressure builds up. 8. Taste liquid exiting for alcohol, when so, turn and see liquid filling up cartridge housing 9. Bleed the cartridge housings by pressing Red Bleeder valves on top of housings. Leave bleeder valve on VA column open until liquid is seen exiting. Filling the VA column takes a long time (~2 minutes?).taste liquid exiting 4 for alcohol; when alcohol is tasted turn 4 8 degrees to return permeate to Wine Out and barrel (never leave 4 in 9 degree position otherwise cartridge housing will burst page 9

30 Cross-Flow filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Flow Meter Hour Meter Main Switch y 6 Wine In Cleaning Port Back Pressure Collection Bucket #2 Wine Out Cleaning Port x Inlet Strainer 4 Wine Barrel Collection Bucket #4 Anion Exchange Column Intensifier Pump BFP Collection Bucket # 2b 2a ph Column The VA Reduction can be left to run for as many hours as is necessary. To reduce VA in a single barrel by 2%, we need to treat 4% of the volume as permeate. The flow rate should be -2 gal/hr; so a 2% VA reduction in a barrel should take approx. 2 ½ hours. To reduce VA by %, we need to treat 7% of the volume as permeate this takes approx. 4 hrs. The following measurements should be taken every minutes:. Measure the ph of the permeate exiting the bleeder valve on the column with the ph Column cartridge. The ph should be 2... When ph rises above. then the ph Column is saturated and needs to be replaced. That process is: a. Open the Back Pressure, turn off Main Switch and wait 2 minutes b. Close s 2a and 2b. Unscrew filter housing; pour out Permeate, blow out and replace the ph Column; pour back Permeate into filter housing and screw back on c. Turn Main Switch on, wait minute then close Back Pressure. 2. Measure the ph of the permeate exiting the bleeder valve on cartridge 4. The ph should be 6.. When the ph drops below 6 the VA column is saturated and requires regeneration (see VA regeneration).. Watch the Flow Meter. The permeate should be flowing at -2 gal/hr or.6-.2 gal/min 4. Watch that the system is pulsing; record the permeate pressure. If the pressure exceeds psi, the membranes are fouled and the system needs to be cleaned. page

31 Cross-Flow filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Flow Meter Hour Meter Main Switch y 6 Wine In Cleaning Port Back Pressure Cleaning Port Collection Bucket #2 Wine Out x Inlet Strainer 4 Wine Barrel Collection Bucket #4 Anion Exchange Column Intensifier Pump Collection Bucket # BFP 2b 2a ph Column At the end of a VA Reduction run the contents of all Collection Buckets are emptied into the wine barrel. Then the system needs to be flushed out with Nitrogen or Argon so as to reduce the loss of wine, Retenate and Permeate. This is done with separate flushes as follows:. Open the Back Pressure to reduce the pressure in the cross-flow filter and turn off main switch to pump 2. Disconnect the outgoing side of the Anion Exchange tank and pour contents into Collection Bucket # at incoming side of. Flush #: Disconnect the Wine-In hose, attach a Nitrogen or Argon tank instead and blow out the Pump and Intensifier at 2 psi until no more wine comes out of the WineOut return hose. Then open empty filter container and pour contents into Collection Bucket #. 4. Disconnect the Nitrogen tank from the Wine-In port and attach it to the Cleaning Port on the ingoing side.. Disconnect the incoming side of the Anion Exchange tank at 2b and put hose into Collection Bucket #2 for Permeate exiting the ph Column. 6. Attach a hose to the Cleaning Port outgoing side which leads to Collection Bucket # for the Retenate and open 7. Flush #2: Open the pressure on the Nitrogen or Argon tank to 2 psi, then open 6 to flush out the Retenate side of the cross-flow filter. page 6

32 Cross-Flow filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Main Switch y Flow Meter Hour Meter 6 Wine In Cleaning Port Back Pressure Cleaning Port Wine Out x Inlet Strainer Pump 4 Wine Barrel Intensifier 2b 2a Anion Exchange Column Nitrogen or Argon Cylinder Collection Bucket # BFP ph Column Flush # Flush #2 Flush # Collection Bucket #4 Collection Bucket # Collection Bucket #2 8. Close to fill the Retenate side with gas and flush out the Permeate side of the cross-flow filter through the ph Column into collection bucket; then unscrew ph Column cartridge, remove ph Column and poor Permeate collected into Collection Bucket #2 and close 2a. 9. Flush #: Disconnect Nitrogen or Argon tank from Cleaning Port at 6, attach to incoming side of Anion Exchange Column and blow out Anion Exchange Column into Collection Bucket #4.. Empty Collection Buckets # to #4 into Wine Barrel. 6. Cleaning At the end of use the system needs to be cleaned thoroughly and then filled with a preservative solution to prevent build-up of spoilage organisms. The cleaning is performed in two steps: first the cross-flow filter is cleaned on its own, then the pump and intensifier is cleaned with the cross-flow filter in the loop. The strainer, filter cartridges and hoses are cleaned separately. The process for cleaning the cross-flow filter is:. Connect external pump to Cleaning Port, and drain hose to Cleaning Port 2 2. Open the Strainer and remove the cartridge. Rinse debris under running water and return to housing. Open s & 6 and close pressure valve 4. TSP cycle: Dissolve. lbs of TSP in gallons on df water (i.e. % TSP solution) in Cleaning Solution bucket and turn pump on move solution through the membranes to page 62

33 drain. Expect 8- gpm of flow. Monitor the outflow. At first it is dark brown, then turns to light brown and then to almost clear. When gallons are used up, turn pump off. Repeat the TSP wash at step 4 until the outflow is clear.. Cold water rinse: Hook Cleaning Port to cold water supply and flow cold water until the outside of the filter feels cool. 6. Citric rinse: Dissolve lbs of Citric Acid in gallons of cold water (i.e. 2% Citric solution) in Cleaning Solution bucket. Reconnect Cleaning Port to external pump and turn pump on to move Citric solution through the membranes to drain. Expect 8- gpm of flow. Monitor the outflow. At first it is yellow, then turns to almost clear. When gallons are used up, turn pump off. Switch Pressure Gage High Pressure Filter Auxiliary Pump Main Switch 6 Cleaning Port Back Pressure Wine In x Cold Water Permeate Retenate Hour Meter y gal TSP or citric solution Inlet Strainer Pump Intensifier Cleaning Port Flow Meter Drain Wine Out 7. Cold water rinse: Hook Cleaning Port to cold water supply and flow cold water until the outside of the filter feels cool. 8. Close s & 6 and disconnect hoses from Cleaning Ports The next step is to clean the whole system. The process is:. Connect Wine-In hose into hot water bucket. Point Wine-Out hose and hose exiting to drain 2. Flush system with hot water: Open Back Pressure ; turn main switch on; rinse for minutes; close Back Pressure for 2 minutes and repeat until water color is clear. This can take 2 gallons. Turn main switch off and wait minute.. Put Wine-In hose into bucket with 2 gallons of % TSP solution in hot water and flush: Open Back Pressure ; turn main switch on; rinse for minutes; close Back Pressure for 2 minutes and repeat until water color is clear. Turn main switch off and wait minute. 4. Put Wine-Out hose into bucket with hot water TSP solution (refilled if necessary) for circulation (clamp down hose on bucket because of pulsation): Open Back Pressure ; turn main switch on; circulate for minutes; close Back Pressure for 2 minutes. Turn main switch off and wait minute. If water is not clear / light brown, go back to step. page 6

34 . Put Wine-Out hose back to drain, connect Wine-In hose to hot water tap and flush system with hot water: Open Back Pressure ; turn main switch on; rinse for minutes; close Back Pressure for 2 minutes and repeat until water color is clear or slight yellow. Turn main switch off and wait minute. 6. Prepare gallon 2% citric solution in bucket and add % KMBS. Then put Wine-In hose into bucket and flush system: Open Back Pressure ; turn main switch on; rinse for minutes; close Back Pressure for 2 minutes. Turn main switch off and wait minute. All hoses are now full with citric/%kmbs combination. 7. Clean all the filter cartridges and corresponding valves separately in TSP water citric water cycle. Hot water Cross-Flow Filter Pressure Gage Permeate Retenate Main Switch Flow Meter Hour Meter y Wine In 6 Inlet Strainer Cleaning Port Back Pressure Cleaning Port Wine Out Drain x Pump Intensifier BFP 4 2 gal hot water TSP or gal citric with KMBS 2b 2a Now the system is ready for storage. If the system remains unused in storage for more than 6 weeks, then the citric/kmbs solution should be refreshed to prevent buildup of spoilage organisms. For longer storage period fill system with % Ethanol. 7. Regeneration The final step is to regenerate the ph Column Cartridge and the Anion Exchange Column if they have been used (for VA reduction). The Anion Exchange Column is regenerated with KOH (Potassium Hydroxide). The process is as follows:. Put inlet hose from auxiliary pump into bucket with gallons of KOH solution (8lbs of Potassium Hydroxide) 2. Connect outlet hose of auxiliary pump to inlet of Anion Exchange Column. Put outlet hose from Anion Exchange Column into waste bucket page 64

35 4. Turn on auxiliary pump and check that Anion Exchange column has no air by opening and closing the bleeder valve. Switch Auxiliary Pump gal of % KOH solution The Anion Exchange Column is stored full of KOH solution. We let VA Filtration regenerate the ph Column resin because it involves highly toxic material. (VA Filtration uses % Hydrochloric Acid at 22psi). Contact at VA Filtration: Sue Poynter, office: x2 Previous page: Fining Top of page: Go Next page: Cold Stabilization Last updated: November 27, 2 page 6

36 Cold Stabilization Cold Stabilization is used to reduce the formation of sediments (i.e. to prevent the precipitation of crystals when bottles are stored at low temperatures for extended periods) and to reduce the amount of tartaric acid in a wine. Tartaric Acid (H2T) dissociates into Bitrate (HT-) and Tartrate (T2-) depending on the ph and the temperature of the wine. The chart shows the distribution at 2 oc. In the presence of Potassium ions (K+), of which there is plenty in wine, Bitatrate combines to form Potassium Tartrate (KHT). At high concentrations, Potassium Tartrate will crystallize and fall out as a sediment. The concentration at which crystallization happens (i.e. the wine becomes unstable) depends on the ph, the temperature and the alcohol content of the wine. The ability for wine to hold KHT in solution increases the higher the ph, the higher the temperature and the lower the alcohol. As a consequence tartrate crystals will form in the bottle when the wine is cooled down or stored for a long time. The crystals show up at the bottom of the cork and as sediment in the bottle. While they are not harmful or degrade the wine, their appearance as crystalline sediment is considered unattractive. The ideal temperature T to create rapid precipitation of tartrate crystals in oc is in approximate terms: T= -A/2 +, where A stands for the % alcohol level in the wine (e.g. if A=% then the ideal temperature is minus 6. oc or 2. of). To get there we need a glycol cooled vessel. We built such a vessel: it is a gal steel tank with cooper cooling coils on the outside and both inserted into a plastic drum holding cooling fluid which itself sits inside an insultated wood box. The cooling fluid inside the cooper coils is Propylene Glycol cooled down by our chiller (Kreyer Chilly Max). The picture shows the components on the right and the fully assembled Cold Stabilization unit on the left. page 66

37 The cooling fluid in the plastic drum needs to be at least 2% propylene glycol in water (which has a freezing point of -8 oc or 8 of) or 2% ethanol in water ((which has a freezing point of -9 C or of). o If the wine is cooled down to only 2 of or slightly above, then cold stabilization takes longer (days instead of hours). This may be prefereable because then water can be used as cooling fluid in the plastic drum. The crystallization of tartrate can be accelerated by seeding the process with a small amount of Potassium Tartrate (KHT) powder. Special care has to be taken to limit the wine s exposure to oxygen during cold stabilization; at these low temperatures wine is prone to absorb oxygen more rapidly and thus age faster. This is especially important when cold stabilization takes longer and is done in a tank which is not completely air-tight. To mitigate oxydation we fill the airspace in the tank with Argon and seal the lid. We cold-stabilize during the winter months. Our process is:. Cool down the barrel from the usual of in the cellar to around 4 of by taking it out and exposing it to the cool nights in winter. 2. Take a barrel sample and measure key parameters (ph, TA, phenolics). Rack the wine from the barrel into the two gallon cooling tanks. 4. Clean the barrel with the barrel washer and burn a sulfur pill inside sulfur it to keep it clean during the cold stabilization process.. Cool the tanks down to of (using water in the cooling drum) then add g of Potassium Tartrate powder (KHT) to each tank. page 67

38 6. Wait for 7 days to let the KHT crystallize 7. Test whether the TA has dropped enougfh. If yes, proceed to step 8, if no, go back to step Rack the treated wine back into the barrel and take a full set of measurements (ph, TA, SO2, phenolics) 9. Replenish the sulfur (SO2) level with KMBS as needed, top up the barrel and close it up.. Clean the tartrate sediments out of the cooling tanks. For more details on Cold Stabilization see the following document written by Virginia Smith: For a detailed description of the chemistry read pages 2-, in Yair Margalit s Concept in Wine Chemistry, rd edition ( ) this is also the source of the above chart. We only tried cold stabilization once in late 2 on a barrels of 22 cabernet which we judged to have too much acidity. The attempt was not entirely successful. After weeks at a temperature between -4 of we measured only a slight increase in ph and instead of tartrate crystals at the bottom of the tank we found a dark-red sediment. We are still trying to find out what happened. Previous page: Filtering Top of page: Go Next page: Other Adjustments Last updated: November 27, 2 page 68

39 Other Adjustments Other adjustments include adjustments which are often done earlier during wine making (like increasing or decreasing acidity, see Step #6 in Upfront Winemakind Decisions) but they can also be made during elevage. Wineries which do not use oak barrels for maturing the wine can achieve similar effects by adding oak chips or staves and by using micro-oxidation. We use oak barrels, so these treatments are not covered here. There is a plethora of other adjustments possible to deal with various wine faults. The following links list common wine faults and suggested adjustments: and We have only used exposure to copper surfaces to alleviate sulfur related odors (rotten eggs, cabbage, onions, asparagus) to correct the 2-2 CSV topup wine. Previous page: Cold Stabilisation Top of page: Go Next page: Racking & Blending Last updated: November 27, 2 page 69

40 Racking & Blending Racking stands for syphoning the wine out of a barrel, cleaning the barrel and then moving the wine back into the barrel. Wine is racked for multiple reasons. First and foremost to remove sediments in a barrel. Secondly to aerate the wine to remove dissolved gasses left over from fermentation and to accelerate ageing in very tannic wines. Thirdly, racking always preceeds mixing wines from different barrels or moving the wine from one barrel to another. Wine can be racked by sucking it out with a pump or force of gravity, or by pushing it out with inert gas. We don t use pumps as some argue that even the gentlest pumps can be detrimental to wine. We use gravity flow whenever possible and inert gas in rare circumstances. Racking is always followed by cleaning the barrel. This is described on page Tank & Barrel Management. The following picture shows the steps in racking two different barrels while moving the contents between the barrels. This is a barrel switch which we decided to do for the 24 Cabernet Sauvingnon in early 2, to give the wine in both barrels some exposure to new oak. For blending we rack different barrels into a blending tank, let the mixture integrate for a few days and then moving the blend back into barrels or into the bottling machine. Blending is very important in large wineries where the winemaker has access to a multitude of barrels of various qualities which may complement each other. In our case we did not have that many options to blend up to now because we produce max. 2 barrels and only in 22 had Merlot in addition to Cabarnet Sauvignon. This will change in the futre as the second vineyard will mature with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. page 7

41 Previous page: Other Adjustments Top of page: Go Next page: Bottling & Labelling Last updated: December 22, 2 page 7

42 Bottling & Labeling Once the desired blend of wine is ready in the mixing tank, we sparge each bottle and then fill it with wine we insert a cork we cap the top of the bottle with a foil we put a printed label on each bottle We sparge, fill, cork and cap a bottle in a continuous process. With two people it takes around seconds per bottle so we can process -2 bottles, per hour. Labelling is done later. The picture shows Jost von Allmen in action with the Sparger (bottom left) the Bottle Filler (left), the Corker (middle) and the Foil Spinner (top right). This page explains these 4 final steps. Filling the bottles We buy standard greenish Bordeau bottles from regional distributors by the pallet. (eg XXX). In bulk they cost around $. per bottle. The wine flows from the elevated mixing tank by gravity to the bottling machine. Before the bottles are filled with wine, they are sparged i.e. filled halfway with Argon. Sparging has two purposes: first it reduced the wine s contact with oxygen as it pours into the bottle. Second it fills the headspace, the airspace left to make room for the cork, with the inert gas, to reduce oxygen contact while the wine matures in the bottle. page 72

43 The bottles are placed by hand under one of two spouts and the filling machine (Zambelli Tivoli2, purchased from Napa Fermentations) automatically fills each bottle to a predefined level. When full each bottle is handed to the person operating the corker and the foiler. Corking As we plan for long bottle ageing buy high end corks. Our supplier is Portocork in Napa, and we end up paying around $.7/piece for natural corks. Our corking machine (Zambelli Bacco Vacuum Corker, purchased from Napa Fermentations) is fully pneumatic. A vacuum is created before the cork is pushed in and the pushing action is created by pressurized air. So we need both a compressor and a vacuum pump to operate the corker. Capping Foils are put over the top of the bottle to protect the cork from mold formation. Foils are today made from thin plastic or metal slightly larger than the bottle top. They shrink and form a tight seal when the Foil Spinner is lowered over the bottle top. Our Foil Spinner is italian made (Binello - Alba) and we purchased it from Napa Fermentation. We buy our foils in boxes of thousand from xxx Labelling page 7

44 As with all other steps, we decided to design and print the labels inhouse and affix them to the bottles ourselves. This requires some equipment choices (label printer, software and labeller) Because we don t sell our bottles, we have the freedom to design labels without artistic or content restrictions for commercially distributed wines, the government specifies what can and what must be on each bottle label. Equipment Choices: We purchased a special purpose label printer in 22 (Zeo! from QuickLabel Systems: with associated spooler and label design & printing software plus rolls of label stock. This was a bad choice because the software and the printer are very poorly designed and the company refuses to upgrade the software to work on Windows operating system beyond XP thus we need to maintain an old PC running Windows XP dedicated to the printer! The company introduced a new printer at twice the price instead. Bad customer service. We bought a basic electric labeller (BottleMatic II, from Dispensa-Matic, ) which works very well, is ideal for our our requirements, is reliable and easy to operate. With it we can easily label around 8 bottles per hour. Labels Produced We decided to produce very classic labels with a fair amount of information about how the wine was produced on the back label. We also manually number each bottle. 29: we produced very similar labels: one for each type of cellaring we tried out: 29 oaked for the 4 bottles we got out of mixing the contents of the new French oak barrel with half the contents of the neutral American barrel, 29 unoaked A for the bottles we got out of the neutral American half-barrel, and 29 unoaked B for bottles we got out of the remaining half of the neutral American oak barrel. page 74

45 The back label texts were similar; for the 29 oaked it read: This wine is made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown, vinified and bottled at 289 Via Regina, Saratoga, California. We harvested. tons of grapes at 2.6 Brix on October, fermented without addition of yeastsover 2 weeks and pressed into 2 ½ barrels plus top-up carboys. The wine was aged 27 months in a new French oak barrel and ½ neutral American barrels. The goal was to produce a benchmark wine. In March 22 we blended the entire French oak barrel with half of the neutral American barrel and filled 4 bottles labelled oaked. The remaining neutral wine filled bottles each labelled neutral A from half barel and neutral B from the full barrel. Chief wine maker Aran Healy, assistant Till Guldimann. / This is bottle # of 4. / Government Warning: () According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of risks of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery and may cause health problems. Contains sulfites. Alcohol.%. General Warning: Consumption of this wine may also make you feel smarter and funnier than your mother ever thought possible. 2: We changed the text on the back label to: This wine was made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown, vinified and bottled at Via Regina 289, Saratoga, California. We harvested.2 tons on October 2 at 22 Brix / ph., crushed, added g of LaFasse GrandCru enzyme and cold soaked for 8 days. We fermented with EM4x4 yeast for 4 days and extended skin exposure with 7 days of cold maceration. We pressed at.2 bar and completed malolactic fermentation in days with Viniflora Oenos bacteria. We cellared for months in new oak barrels (one American San Martin, the other French Seguin Moreau) and fined with ½ egg whites page 7

46 before bottling in June 2 at 2.8% alcohol, ph.4 and TA of.67. Winemakers: Aran Healy & Till Guldimann. This is bottle # of 7. General Warning: Consumption of this wine may make you feel smarter and happier than your mother ever thought possible 2: We changed the text of the back label to: This wine is made from a mixture of 2/ 2 Cabernet Sauvignon from our property in Saratoga and / 22 Merlot from a Bargetto vineyard in Watsonville. We harvested our Cab late on Nov. 4, only.6 tons at 2 Brix after a wet and cool season. We fermented the Cab with F- yeast and macro-oxidation but added no extended maceration. We fermented the Merlot with VQ. ML Silver was used for malolactic fermentation for both. The Cab was cellared for 8 months in new French oak (Radoux) and 2 months in 2 year old American oak. The Merlot was cellared 8 month in new French oak (Radoux). We bottled in July 24 at 2.9% alcohol, ph., TA.7, Bound Anthocyanins and Tannins at bottling were weak at 9 and 42 Malv. Equiv. Wine Makers: David Fenyvesi & Till Guldimann. / This is bottle # of 4. / General Warning: Consumption of this wine may make you feel smarter and happier than your mother ever thought possible 22: we changed the back label to: page 76

47 Previous page: Racking & Blending Top of page: Go Next page: Bottle Storage Last updated: November 27, 2 page 77

48 Bottle Storage Our wine takes 2- years to mature in the bottle until it becomes good enough to drink. Thereafter it can take another - years until it reaches its peak. We produce around bottles per year, thus we need storage capacity for around bottles. Bottles are ideally stored in a dark room at a constant temperature of around of and -7% relative humidity. When we built the winery we did not properly plan for this storage space in the cellar, so we needed to retrofit and air-condition a room in the barn a few years later. Previous page: Bottling & Labelling Top of page: Go Next page: Cellar Summaries Last updated: November 27, 2 page 78