Ch 15 Finishing and Packaging Flashcards

Question 1

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is finishing, what is the goal and how do it?

Answer

A

○ Prepping wine to be put in final packaging
○ Goal for most winemakers produce a clear and stable wine
○ Achieved by clarifying and stabilizing wine before bottling

Question 2

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 3 main finishing steps?

Answer

A

Clarification
Stabilization
Final finishing options

Question 3

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is clarification?

Answer

A

○ All the processes - physical and chemical - to make wine clear
○ Same processes used for must and wine

Question 4

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are teh 4 main clarification processes?

Answer

A

Sedimentation
Centrifugation
Fining
Filtration

Question 5

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is sedimentation?
What determines how many rackings are needed?

Answer

A

○ Wine will naturally begin clarification process when stored in cool cellar -> highest density suspended matter will form sediment at bottom of container -> wine racked and leaves sediment behind
○ Number of rackings -> shape of container, volume of wine and available labor; larger vessel -> need more racking to avoid thick layer of sediment

Question 6

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are cost considerations for different wine price points?

Answer

A

○ Time for sedimentation has a cost -> wine can’t be sold until clarified; if wine is barrel aged then sedimentation happens during maturation = only prem/super-prem can afford
○ Some premium wines only clarify via sedimentation -> avoids pot loss of texture and flavor if wine is fined/filtered
○ High volume wines - accelerate process -> speed is important for economics

Question 7

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is centrifugation?
What advantages?
Which wine price points do it?

Answer

A

○ Very rapid spinning to clarify
○ Can replace depth filtration and allow early bottling
○ Effective for wines with a lot of matter in suspension
○ Only done for high vol wines due to machinery cost

Question 8

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is fining?
What general kinds of agents are there?
How does it work and how is it done?
What cautions are there?
What additional benefits?

Answer

A

○ Chemical separation technique - fining agent added to speed up precipitation of suspended material
○ Agents can be protein or mineral
○ Fining removes small proportion of unstable colloids - microscopic particles too small to be removed by filtering
○ Fining agent has to have opposite charge from the colloid to be removed -> agent and colloid attract each other and form solid large enough to be removed via racking or filtering
○ Helps to clarify and stabilize wine against formation of haze in the bottle
○ Winemakers do lab trials before using fining agents to ensure min effective amt is used, compare fined sample with orig wine
○ Over-fining - using too much fining agents can remove desirable compounds or make wine unstable
○ Add’l benefits beyond clarification - removal of harsh tannins and prevent browning in whites

Question 9

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are colloids?

Answer

A

microscopic particles too small to be removed by filtering

Question 10

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are 3 categories of fining agents?

Answer

A

○ Those that remove unstable proteins
○ Those that remove phenolics that add undesirable color/bitterness
○ Those that remove color and off-aromas

Question 11

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What kind of wine needs fining for unstable colloids and why?
How is it done?
What are the considerations?

Answer

A

○ Reds don’t need it - grape-derived proteins bind with tannins and precip naturally and are removed when racked
○ Whites/rose need it - proteins can agglomerate into visible haze if warmed up
○ Fined with bentonite -> clay that absorbs unstable proteins and colloidal coloring matter -> minimal impact on wine flavor and texture;
○ Can be used both with must and wine
○ Considerations for bentonite - can cause some color loss in reds and forms a lot of sediment -> wine loss when racking

Question 12

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are 7 fining agents used to remove undesirable phenloics (bitterness/color)?
What is their relationship to bentonite?

Answer

A

Egg white
Gelatine
Casein
Isinglass
Vegetable protein products
PVPP (insoluble plastic)

All can be used in conjunction w/Bentonite to help avoid over-fining

Question 13

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - egg whites
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ High protein content, used in fresh or powdered form
§ Tends to used for high quality reds - ability to remove harsh tannin and clarify the wine; gentle to the wine
§ It is an allergen
§ Law - must be on label in EU if used, and above certain limit in other regions; not allowed for vegan wines

Question 14

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - gelatine
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ Pork-based protein collagen
§ Helps clarification, removes bitterness and astringency in reds; removes browning compounds in whites
§ Can be used to fine must as well as wine
§ Easy to over-fine w/ it - must be added only at min effective amt -> strips flavor and character, creates haze risk later
§ Not allowed for vegetarian/vegan wines

Question 15

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - casein
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ Milk-derived protein
§ Removes browning from whites, some clarification
§ Can fine must or wine
§ Must be listed as allergen in some countries, not allowed for vegans

Question 16

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - isinglass
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ Protein collagen from fish bladders
§ Whites - very effective clarifier -> gives bright appearance
§ Avoid over fining - to prevent haze forming later and creation of fishy smell
§ Not allowed for vegetarian/vegan

Question 17

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - vegetable protein products
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ Derived from potato or legumes
- remove phenolics - color/bitterness
Allowed in vegetarian/vegan wines

Question 18

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Fining agent - PVPP
what is it, how done, red or white and why, impact consideration, and law?

Answer

A

§ Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone - insoluble plastic in powder form
§ Used for oxidized whites to remove browning and astringency
§ Gentler than charcoal
§ Rarely used for reds - can reduce astringency and brighten color

Question 19

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What fining agent is used to remove color/off odors?
Risk and how mitigate?

Answer

A

○ Charcoal -> removes brown colors and some off-odors
○ Over fines easily -> removes positive aromas/flavors
○ Option - treat one batch of impacted wine and blend it with the rest to reduce impact

Question 20

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is filtration?
What are 2 main types?

Answer

A

○ Physical separation technique to eliminate solids from suspension
○ Liquid passed thru filter medium containing porous layers that trap solids making liquid clear
○ Most common way of clarifying wine
2 main types - depth filtration and surface filtration

Question 21

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is depth filtration?
When used and how does it work?
Adv/disadv?

Answer

A

○ Traps particles in the depth of the filter material -> small particles trapped w/in many irregular channels in the filter
○ Can cope with fluid with many particles in it -> just pressed or lees
○ Not an absolute filter - adv - does not block easily but disadv - not completely reliable -> if too much pressure applied or filter used too long -> some particles flow thru

Question 22

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are 2 main forms of depth filters?

Answer

A

Diatomaceous earth (DE)
2. Sheet filters

Question 23

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is DE?
How used, how does it work, when is it used?
What are 2 types of filters?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Diatomaceous earth - pure silica and is inert
○ most common form of depth filtration
○ DE wetted and used as a filter medium -> comes in range of particle sizes = can remove large or very small (yeast) particles
○ Rotary vacuum filters - used for very thick/cloudy wine - - > wine sucked by vacuum from outside of a rotary drum thru DE to inside of drum; oxidative process - as drum is exposed to air
○ Enclosed DE filters do same thing - can be flushed with inert gas to avoid oxi
○ Considerations - upfront machinery cost, though per liter processing cost low after that; DE must be disposed of responsibly

Question 24

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are sheet filters and another name for them?
How do they work and when used?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Aka plate or frame filters
○ Wine passes thru sheet of filter material -> more sheets the faster it is done
○ Very fine sheets can be used to filter yeast at bottling
○ Considerations - upfront cost, but cost of filter sheets low; needs trained labor

Question 25

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is surface filtration?
What is another name?
What are the 2 main types?

Answer

A

○ Aka absolute filters - stops particles bigger than the pore size from flowing thru
○ 2 types - membrane and cross-flow

Question 26

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are membrane filters and another name for them?
What is it, how does it work and when used?
What special role does this method play?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Aka cartridge filters,
○ Slower than depth filter - pores smaller (often <1micron) -> wine must be pre-filtered first otherwise clogs
○ Sterile filtering - usually used as final precaution to remove yeast and bacteria right before bottling to ensure wine is completely clear and microbio stable
○ Considerations - upfront cost small, but cartridges expensive and an ongoing cost
○ Very common form of filtration during bottling/packaging

Question 27

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are cross-flow filters and another name for them?
What is it, how does it work and when used? What is unique?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Aka Tangential filters
○ Allow wine to pass thru while cleaning the surface of the filter as it works -> do not clog as quickly as membrane filters
○ Solid particles can’t pass thru -> can filter wine with high level of particles/lees very quickly
○ Considerations - machines expensive, but no ongoing cost of DE, sheets or cartridges -> best suited for large scale wineries

Question 28

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are winemaker opinions on filtration?

Answer

A

○ Some feel it can neg impact wine char esp stripping it of texture -> some wines bottled unfiltered
○ Others feel wine recovers after some months, and its worth it to reduce risk of faults since yeast/bacteria have been removed -> they feel terroir and fruit better express after wines are fined/filtered

Question 29

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is stabilization?
What 3 processes contribute to stabilization?

Answer

A

○ Series of winemaker interventions to prevent hazing, deposits in bottle and rapid changes in wine (browning).
○ Tartrate stability, fining and filtering all contribute to clarification and stabilization

Question 30

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 3 main types of stabilization interventions?

Answer

A

Protein stability
Tartrate stability
Microbiological stability

Question 31

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is protein stabilization?
How is it accomplished?

Answer

A

Fining with Bentonite

Question 32

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is tartrate stabilization?
What are the 2 kinds of tartrates?

Answer

A

○ Tartrates are harmless deposits of crystals that can form in finished wine -> many customers see them as a fault
○ All high vol wineries and many others work to prevent
○ 2 kinds of tartrates - potassium bitartrate most common and calcium tartrate

Question 33

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 6 main options for tartrate stabilization?

Answer

A

○ Cold stabilization
○ Contact process
○ Electrodialysis
○ Ion Exchange
○ CMC
○ Metatartaric acid

Question 34

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is cold stabilization?
How does it work, what is process?
What kind of tartrate does it only work for?
Economic considerations?

Answer

A

○ Wine held at -4°C for ~8 days so crystals form before bottling -> tartrates less soluble at cold temps -> filtered out
○ Colloids MUST be fined out before this process -> can prevent tartrate crystals from forming
○ ONLY removes more common potassium bitartrate, not calcium tartrate
○ Econ considerations - equipment cost and cost of energy

Question 35

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is the contact process for tartrate stabilization?
How does it work?
Adv?

Answer

A

○ Potassium bitartrate added to wine and speeds up start of crystallization process
○ Wine cooled to 0°C and after 1-2 hrs crystals filtered out
○ Adv - faster, cheaper, continuous and more reliable than cold stab

Question 36

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is electrodialysis for tartrate stabilization?
How does it work?
Economic considerations?

Answer

A

○ Uses charged membrane to remove selected ions ->removes both potassium and calcium ions, and to lesser extent tartrate ions
○ Econ consider - high initial cost, total costs lower than cold stab, uses less energy and is faster
○ Allowed in EU and other places for tartrate stabilization

Question 37

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is ion exchange for tartrate stabilization?
How does it work?

Answer

A

○ Does not remove tartrates - replaces potassium and calcium ions with H or sodium ions which do not precip out of solution
○ Not allowed in some places since it replaces potassium with sodium - not healthy - tho levels well below legal limits

Question 38

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is ion exchange for tartrate stabilization?
What is CMC
How does it work and when is it used?
Economic considerations?

Answer

A

○ Carboxymethylcellulose - cellulose extracted from wood
○ Prevents tartrates from developing to visible size
○ Used widely on inexp whites; not good for reds -> reacts w/ tannins making it ineffective and causes haze
○ Much cheaper than chilling and keeps wine stables for a few yrs - better than metatartaric acid for whites - lasts longer

Question 39

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is mtatartaric acid for tartrage stabilization
How does it work and when is it used?
Economic considerations?

Answer

A

○ Adding it prevents growth of both types of tartrate crystals -> reduces need for cold stab
○ Compound is unstable and benefit lost over time, esp when wine stored in warmer temps 25-30°C
○ Best used for early drinking wines
○ Used more for reds as CMC better for whites
○ Quick and easy process

Question 40

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 3 microbiological conditions that need to be addressed for stability?

Answer

A

RS
Lactic and acetic acid bacteria
Brett

Question 41

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is concern over wines w/ RS in terms of stability?
How are they handled for microbiological stabilization?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Wines with RS are liable to re-ferm in bottle
○ Remove yeast thru sterile filtration or add sorbic acid and SO2 -> inhibits yeast from growing
○ Disadv - some people can smell sorbic acid at very low levels - less common w/wide avail of sterile filtering

Question 42

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What conditions in the wine solution can lactic acid, acetic acid and brett tolerate that makes them problematic?

Answer

A

They can all survive in low pH and high alc environments

Question 43

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Wha is the risk of lactic acid bacteria remaining in the wine and what does it cause?
How address?

Answer

A

○ Lactic acid - if MLC not carried out/completed, wines liable to MLC starting again in bottle = cloudiness in bottle
○ To address - ensure complete MLC or filter wine to remove bacteria

Question 44

Q

Finishing and Packaging

How handle wines w/ Brett?
Considerations?

Answer

A

○ Wine can be treated with DMDC - dimethyl dicarbonate aka Velcorin (brand name) - before bottling which inactivates Brett

Question 45

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What has to happen before final finishing options are carried out and before bottling?

Answer

A

○ Winemaker does a full chem analysis including at a min alc, RS and free SO2
○ Final adjustments made based on this analysis
○ Before bottling -> check levels of dissolved O2 and CO2

Question 46

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 3 main final finishing option adjustments?

Answer

A

○ Adjust level of SO2
○ Adjust level of dissolved O2
○ Add CO2

Question 47

Q

Finishing and Packaging

In adjusting level of SO2, what are considerations?
What is measured and what levels for reds vs whites?
What factors affect the SO2 levels at filling?

Final finishing options

Answer

A

○ Winemakers routinely check SO2 levels and adjust before bottling -> need to ensure levels are w/in legal limits
○ Both total SO2 and free SO2 measured - latter has molecular SO2 which is the effective part
○ Factors affecting SO2 at point of filling - winemaking approach, wine style (white, red, sweet), pH and intended drinking period
○ SO2 levels strongly associated with pH
○ SO2 level for whites - calc how much to add to achieve 0.8ppm molecular SO2
○ SO2 levels for reds - lower due to anti-oxidant prop of tannins, so getting to 0.8ppm would req too much -> off aromas and excessive color bleaching

Question 48

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Why need to reduce dissolved O2?
How is it done?

Final finishing options

Answer

A

○ Dissolved O2 can speed aging of the wine -> reduced shelf life
○ Can be removed by sparging - flushing with inert gas to remove it

Question 49

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Why winemakers add CO2?
What kinds of wines is it done for and when is it done?

Answer

A

○ Inexp youthful white and rose - some winemakers prefer to add a tiny bit of spritz for added freshness
○ Added right before bottling

Question 50

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Why is modern winemaking almost always fault-free?

5 key actions taken

Answer

A

○ Care taken at every stage of prod
§ Sorting to remove damaged/moldy fruit
§ Protect from O2
§ Temp control
§ Strict hygiene
§ Stabilization/fining/filtering and adjust final SO2

Question 51

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 9 types of faults?

Answer

A

Cloudiness/hazyness
tartrates
re-ferm in bottle
Cork taint
Oxidation
VA
Reduction
Light strike
Brett

Question 52

Q

Finishing and Packaging

Why do wines get cloudy/hazy?
How addressed?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Growth of yeast/bact in the wine combined with failure to filter sufficiently -> better hygiene, pre-bottling chem analysis and filtering to completely remove yeast/bact before bottling
○ Poor filtering - e.g., too much pressure in depth filter pushes particles into wine
○ Fining not effective - cause protein haze -> wrong fining agent or over-fining -> fix by fining correctly and doing chem analysis after fining

Question 53

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are tartrates and why do they form?
How address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Tartrates form at cold temps precip out of liquid -> harmless but seen as fault by consumers
○ Inexp and mid-price wines stabilize, but not always fully successful

Question 54

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is re-fermentation in the bottle?
What happens?
How address?

Faults

Answer

A

Caused by RS interacting w/ yeast
○ Visible bubbles/spritz can be seen as a fault by consumers
○ If also hazy -> can indicate unwanted re-ferm in bottle = failure to stabilize and clarify/filter
○ Some wine styles intentionally have a low level of spritz (Muscadet sur lie) and some inexp/mid-price add small amt CO2 before bottling to preserve and add freshness

Question 55

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is cork taint?
What does it do to the wine?

Faults

Answer

A

○ TCA - Unattractive, moldy, wet cardboard smell -> reduces fruit char and shortens finish of wines

Question 56

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is oxidation?
Why does it happen and how address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Result of excessive O2 exposure either during winemaking or in final container
○ Prematurely brown and loss of primary fruit and then vinegar smell
○ Can be faulty bottling or keeping wine too long if not of ageable quality

Question 57

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is VA?
Why does it happen and how address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ All wines have some VA
○ Excessive amts -> nail polish remover/vinegar smell
○ Result of acetic acid bacteria, insuff SO2 and excess O2 exposure
○ Reduce risk by sorting fruit to remove damaged grapes, good hygiene in winery, keeping vessels topped up and careful racking to avoid excess O2, maintain suff SO2 levels

Question 58

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is reduction?
Why does it happen and how address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Associated with off aromas like rotten egg, sulfur, onion
○ Caused by volatile reductive sulfur compounds -> some smaller amts can add positive complexity to wine; at high levels they are a fault
○ Can be caused by yeast under stress (low N levels) in winemaking phase and by nearly complete exclusion of O2 during aging in closed vessels - esp during lees aging; can also develop when screwcap is used - hermetic seal
○ Avoid - not stressing yeast by ensure suff nutrients and O2, must is adequate temp; SO2 may need to be lowered esp if closure doesn’t allow in O2

Question 59

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is light strike?
Why does it happen?
How address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Cause by UV radiation and certain wavelengths of visible light reacting with wine compounds to form volatile sulfur compounds
○ Causes odors of dirty drains
○ Wines in direct sun most at risk, but fluorescent lighting can also cause it
○ Use dark containers - esp green/brown glass - avoid clear

Question 60

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is Brett?
Why does it happen?
How address?

Faults

Answer

A

○ Brett yeast produce range of off aromas - animal, spicy or farmyard
○ Some feel low levels add complexity to reds; high levels are faulty reducing fruit flavors and acid/tannin become more prominent
○ Once winery infected w/ Brett -> hard to get rid of esp since wood hosts it and very hard to clean effectively
○ Ways to avoid:
§ Excellent hygiene in winery
§ Maint effective SO2 levels
§ Keep pH levels low and keep period bet alc ferm and MLC as short as poss -> so SO2 can be added asap
○ Wine affected by Brett -> filter or DMDC before bottling -> inactivates Brett

Question 61

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are high level considerations for choosing packaing/closure options?

Answer

A

○ O2 management
○ Position in marketplace - early sale/consumption vs aging
○ What markets it will be sold in

Question 62

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is the main consideration when bottling/filling final containers?
Why is that important - implic of too much/too little?
How do winemakers address?

Answer

A

○ Oxygen exposure in addition to hygiene
○ Amt of O2 in final container will det shelf life and expected dev of the wine
○ Too much -> premature browning/oxidation
○ Too little -> reductive char
○ Winemakers address - limit O2 in containers - flush w/inert gas before closing; det OTR -oxygen transmission rate - of closures

Question 63

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What is total package oxygen?

Answer

A

○ Amt of dissolved O2 in wine
○ O2 in headspace in container -> usually greatest contributor to total package oxygen
○ Amt O2 in cork/closure
○ OTR of closure

Question 64

Q

Finishing and Packaging

What are the 6 options for packaging?

Answer

A

Glass
Plastic
Bag-in-box
Pouch
Can
6.Brick

Answer 65

A

○ Glass bottles most common
○ Exception 1 - producer markets (France) where inexpensive plastic containers used to collect wine from local winery for short term storage and early drinking
○ Exception 2 - dominance of bag-in-box in some markets - Sweden (~60%)

Answer 66

A

Adv
○ Inert and conveys no taint to wine
○ Can be delivered to wineries nearly sterile - shrink wrapped when hot
○ Inexpensive to make and comes in range of colors
○ 100% recyclable - some colors harder to recycle
○ Best container for aging wine - impermeable to O2

Disadv
○ High carbon footprint - due to heat to make it
○ Heavy to transport
○ Fragile
○ Rigid - once opened and partly consumed, headspace fills w/O2 - oxygen exposure
○ Clear bottles - light strike risk, green better, brown best

Answer 67

A

○ PET - (polyethylene terephthalate) form of very light plastic (1/8th weight of glass)
○ Must be lined with barrier to reduce O2 ingress and ensure shelf life
○ Can be used for range of sizes - bottle or ready to drink
○ Good for wines intended for early drinking and informal settings if breakage is hazard
○ Tough, inexpensive, recyclable
○ Special filling equip needed as PET bottles inflated at filling

Answer 68

A

○ Cardboard box that houses flex bag inside
§ Bag usually made of very thin aluminum foil (barrier to O2) covered on both sides by plastic
§ Bag can also be plastic - protect from O2 and doesn’t crack

Adv 
		§ Flexible pour size
		§ Good O2 protection after wine has been poured -> bag collapses in box as used
		§ Multiple sizes avail -> home and commercial use
		§ Easy to store - less fragile vs glass and stackable
		§ Low environ impact

Considerations
		§ Needs slightly higher SO2 vs glass to counter oxidation
		§ Needs low dissolved O2 level, no head space and low CO2 (prevent bag bulging)
		§ Must use high quality tap - point of greatest O2 exposure
		§ Shelf life 6-9mos
	
	○ Very popular in Sweden and Australia

Pouch
§ Same as the bag inside bag-in-box
§ Avail in larger and single serve sizes

Answer 69

A

○ Aka Tetra Pak
○ Paper card w/ plastic layers and aluminum foil layer to protect from O2 and light
○ Can be filled entirely -> exclude all O2
○ Accepted by cons at lower prices -> does well in markets where price is a major driver (Germany)
○ Filling equip big investment

Answer 70

A

○ Alum needs to be lines w/ plastic to protect from acid in the wine
○ Popular in RTD market, mostly used for inexp/mid-priced segments
○ Adv - light weight, easy to open, impermeable to O2 and recyclable
○ Filling equip big investment - often outsourced

Answer 71

A

○ Protect wine from rapid oxidation
○ Be inert -> no impact to wine
○ Easy to remove/re-insert
○ Cheap, recyclable and free from faults

Answer 72

A

Natural cork
Technical cork
Synthetic closure
Screwcap
Glass stoppers

Most common: natural cork -> about 60% of wine bottles

Natural, technical and synthetic corks can all be done on traditional bottling lines

Answer 73

A

○ Adv - light, flexible, inert (but can house harmful fungi) and comes from renewable, natural source
○ Positive image among consumers
○ Comes in various lengths/quality levels - winemaker needs to asses based on quality/price of wine
§ Inexp - shorter, lower quality cork since wine is early consumption
§ Prem/ageable wines - longer, more expensive corks

Answer 74

A

○ TCA - cork taint- 2,4,6-trichloroanisole -> mold/wet cardboard aromas = suppress fruit aromas; estimate impacts 3-5% of bottles with corks
○ Each cork has variable rate of O2 permeability - same wine in cork bottles age at diff rates

Answer 75

A

○ Creation of alt closures
○ Elim incidence of cork taint by
§ Clean with steam extraction
§ Diam (brand) cork - closure made from cork particles cleaned and reconstituted w/ plastic = looks and behaves like natural cork
§ Better cork quality control during production to detect/prevent TCA
§ Put inexp polymer barrier bet cork and wine - wrinkled appearance on end of cork and prevents any TCA aromas from reaching wine

Answer 76

A

○ Cork that has been manufactured/processed and designed to address cost issues and cork taint
○ Cheapest - agglomerated cork -> cork granules are glued together -> only for inexp wines meant for early consumption
○ One plus one cork - central section is cheap agglomerate, but finished with disk of natural cork at both ends
○ Diam corks - closure made from cork particles cleaned and reconstituted w/ plastic
○ Avail w/ different O2 ingress rates for winemaker to choose based on intended drinking window

Answer 77

A

○ Aluminum closure rolled onto outside of bottle neck, seal with the wine is either tin (impermeable) or saran plastic
○ Requires different equipment vs in-bottle closures
○ Issue - permit almost no O2 contact - esp w/ tin lining -> wines can become reductive after bottling onion smell on first opening
○ adapt final wine w/ slightly lower SO2
○ Adv - can be opened w/o special tool and eliminates TCA risk
○ Considerations - intended market -> consumer attitudes vary signif in diff markets ->accepted for all but ultra prem in Australia; US sees it as inexp wine

Answer 78

A

○ Aka - Vinlock brand
○ Made from glass w/seal formed by plastic ring
○ Adv - wine can be stored same length as natural cork, look attractive
○ Considerations - special bottles needed to ensure perfect fit; expensive -> only for prem and super prem

Answer 79

A

○ If wines needs to be transported, needs to be put in bottle or other container before it can be sold

Answer 80

A

○ Pre-fill analysis to check:
§ Wine is stable
§ Meets winemaker tech specification
§ Meets legal standards (e.g., SO2 levels, trace metals)
§ If any issues -> wine re-treated

○ Right before filling
§ Dissolved O2 and CO2 checked and corrected if needed

Answer 81

A

○ List of wine’s main measurable chem parameters
○ If being sold to private label or supermarket - tech spec is part of contract
○ Ensures wine will be the same year to year, provides standard to check against if wine has long transport
○ Includes -
§ Key components - free/total SO2, VA, alc content, RS, TA, pH, malic/lactic acid, total dry extract, minor acids, trace metals, dissolved O2, CO2,
§ Stability - tartrates and proteins, microbial populations - yeast, bacteria
§ Clarity/Turbidity - amt of particles in suspension
§ Faults - TCA, etc
○ Can be done at winery if have equip, otherwise outsourced
§ Large wineries have HPLC - high performance liquid chromatography equip or spectroscopy equip - can be done very quickly

Answer 82

A

Traditional filling
Modern filling techniques

Answer 83

A

○ Historically, wine bottled with minimal treatment
○ If wine ferm dry -> acid and alc and lack of nutrients make hostile environ for spoilage orgs
○ If wine matured over long time in cool cellar -> natural clarification process
○ Winemakers then siphon wine directly to bottles and seal with cork

Answer 84

A

○ Aka - Aseptic bottling -> elimination of any pot harmful yeast/bact via
○ Before being filled, bottles are sterilized - heated to 82°C for 20 min

	2 main techniques:
	○ **Sterile filtration** - *aka cold bottling* since no heat applied - physically removes micro orgs - bottling done at ambient temp
	○ **Heat treatments** - flash pasteurization - wine heated for few secs to 80-90°C and then cooled rapidly -> kills micro orgs
	○ Most common today - sterile filtration
	
		§ Adv - no heat means no quality impact
		§ Disadv - equipment cost and skilled labor cost
		
	○ Key consideration for both approaches - careful attention to sterilize bottling line to avoid spoilage orgs after filtration/heat treatment and to prevent oxidation during filling

Answer 85

A

○ Bag-in-box and pouch -> need dedicated filling lines -> slight permeability of packages means special attn to min oxidation to maximize shelf life
§ Wine sterile filtered and sterile packed and put under vacuum before filling -> avoid re-ferm
§ Wine needs slightly higher SO2 level vs gas -> counter oxidation; also needs low dissolved O2, no headspace and low C02 (avoid bulging)

	○ Bricks -> packaging sterilized w/ UV light and filling happens in sterile enclosure
	
	○ Cans -> specialty op usually outsourced

Answer 86

A

Glass

impermeable to O2 vs other packaging; some air gets in via closure

Answer 87

A

○ Vintage port, prem German riesling, cru classes Bordeaux
○ Some PDOs require aging - Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG
○ Post bottling mat at winery inc costs - suitable storage, insurance

Answer 88

A

○ Lots of closure options avail w/ known OTRs
○ Other factors not well understood - grape var, winemaking tech, how much O2 is good/bad
○ Amt of headspace, amt O2 dissolved in wine at bottling
○ Wines with higher OTR closure, high dissolved O2 or large headspace = faster oxidation and aging in bottle

Answer 89

A

○ A small amt of O2 can be good -> allows wine to develop slowly in bottle -> primary aromas become tertiary, tannins soften, oak compound better integrate, color moves toward brown and paler in reds/darker in whites
○ Rapid/excessive oxidation - bad
○ Too little O2 - can lead to volatile sulfur compounds - some positive reductive aromas matchstick, smoke - but at high levels bad - rotten egg

Answer 90

A

Cool/dark place
Constant temp - 10-15°C
Constant humidity
Stored on side if closed with cork

Answer 91

A

○ Winery hygiene
○ Quality control
○ Quality assurance
○ HACCP - Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points
○ External audit/ISO standard certification
○ Traceability

Answer 92

A

○ Very high priority -. Good hygiene means best chances of making good product
○ New wineries designed to facilitate cleaning - easy to clean s/s, non porous floors that slope for drainage, equipment placement for easy cleaning -> wood remains challenge
○ Procedures:
§ Cleaning - removal of surface dirt
§ Sanitation - reduction of unwanted orgs to acceptably low levels - usually water + detergent -> est for each L of wine made, takes 10L water mostly for hygiene
§ Sterilization - elimination of unwanted orgs - high risk areas e.g., heads of bottles - high strength alc or steam

Answer 93

A

○ Quality control - set of practices to ensure consistently good quality product
○ Quality assurance - broader approach includes QC - complete way a business organizes itself to deliver consistently good product and protect from legal challenge
○ QA Includes planning, management and monitoring systems and recording of key standards from vineyard to bottling
○ QA provides proof of reasonable precautions taken to produce safe product

Answer 94

A

○ HACCP = hazard analysis of critical control points -> addresses signif threats to consumer safety and company reputation
○ Company IDs all possible hazards that could affect final wine quality - for each hazard, document rates seriousness and a prevention and correction plan
○ Ex - automated bottling line - breakage hazard glass shards in final product -> program machine to detect breakage and remove 3 bottles on either side
○ HACCP done by company itself - no auditing by 3rd party - but documentation is auditable
○ Cost - considerable time to develop plan and implement it

Answer 95

A

○ Commercial customers may require it
○ ISO - Int’ Org for Standardization - recognized standards for quality -> gives assurance to all parties across supply chain
○ ISO 9000 and 9001 sets the standards - indep cert bodies do the audits -> costs money
○ Large retailers can have even higher audit/cert standards - environ policy, ethical trading

Answer 96

A

○ Formal traceability process needed to enable wine company to respond to complaints, improve its practices to prevent future issues
○ Each consignment of wine given lot number which is on bottle -> allows company to trace back where grapes came from, all treatments done
○ Winery has to keep track of activities at every step of process from vineyard through transport
○ Large companies keep batch samples
○ Required in EU and many other countries

Answer 97

A

○Premium/super-premium -> bottled at winery and shipping in glass bottles
○ Inexp/med-price -> bulk transport in large containers -> rapid growth in this esp for very long journeys

Answer 98

A

○ Road and rail in Europe - 24,000L containers
○ Australia, NZ, S Africa, S Amer - container ships
○ Has led to very large scale, high quality bottling plants near final markets
○ Most exported wines transported in bottle, though bulk makes up signif amt (40%)

Answer 99

A

○ Flexitank - most common - single use, recyclable polyethelene bag that fits into standard container -> coated with barrier to prevent taint and reduce O2 ingress
○ ISO tank - reusable many times and may have added insulation
○ Reefer - tanks with temp control - cost extra

Answer 100

A

○ Adv
- entire product is controlled by producer - wine, bottling, labeling, external packaging

	○ Disadv:
		§ More costly - smaller volume can be shipped per container
		§ Financial/environ cost of weight of glass
		§ Pot damage from fluctuating temps during shipping, pot spoilage of labeling/packaging
		§ Shorter shelf life of inexp wines because it was bottled earlier than if done at final market

Answer 101

A

○ Adv
§ Cheaper and more eco friendly - one container can hold 32,000 bottle equivalent in liquid form vs 12K bottles
§ Greater thermal inertia of large container - less temp fluctuation -> reduces risk of fruit loss and oxi esp for long distances across hot areas
§ Stricter QC - key parameters of wine can be measured at point of filling and again when emptying - RS, SO2, etc
§ Wine can be adjusted at point of bottling closer to consumer
§ Shelf life extended - calculated from time of bottling - esp for long distances

○ Disadv
		§ Loss of direct relationship with wine producer
		§ Transfer of business oppty/value chain from producer to countries close to final market
		§ Only viable for larger vol brands - sell 3+ containers per yr

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Ch 15 Finishing and Packaging Flashcards

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