Sparkling Wine and Champagne
Sparkling wine and champagne manufacture is a highly industrialized process these days and uses centrifugal separation technology to satisfy economic concerns as much as sensory ones. Consumers naturally expect a consistently high level of quality (unclouded enjoyment).
Hydrohermetic clarifiers from GEA Westfalia Separator are used with success both in clarifying sparkling wines and in various process stages in the production of champagne.
Production of sparkling wine
In sparkling wineries, the objective is to use clarification in bulk tank processing to produce a clear, yeast-free sparkling wine. Yeast is separated from the raw sparkling wine at a point which is as dependent on the operating process as on the result of the fermentation check, chemical and microscopic tests of the sparkling wine and the quality of sparkling wine aimed for. In general, clarification takes place just before bottling.
Nowadays it is possible to pre-clarify and polish both bulk tank-fermented and transvased sparkling wines using selfcleaning, hydrohermetic separators from GEA Westfalia Separator. Subsequent filtration through filter plates with a considerable saving in filter aids allows both clear and stable sparkling wines to be achieved. Separation is performed under the exclusion of air. There is no loss of carbon dioxide, alcohol or bouquet substances. What is more, pre-filtration is no longer required – only final filtration.
Pressure tank method for clarifying sparkling wine
Production of champagne
Champagne production, too, benefits from the performance dimension of innovative clarifiers. The designation champagne is reserved exclusively for the French wine-growing area of Champagne. It consists of two-thirds red grapes and one third white grapes. The three varieties approved for this are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for red grapes and Chardonnay Blanc for white grapes.
In the method illustrated here, the clarifiers initially perform must clarification. The rapid removal of the trub substances immediately after the press process has a positive impact on subsequent quality. Compared to natural in-tank sedimentation, use of the separators saves tank space, work and time. Separated must is furthermore characterized by balanced fermenting which also has a positive effect on final quality.
Following fermentation, the still wine passes through a further clarifier to generate still wines which are as clear and as typical as possible. After cooling and precipitation of the tartrate in the reaction tank, polishing is performed in the separator. Following transfer to a tank and addition of sugar and yeast, everything is bottled, where fermentation takes place. During the fermentation process, the yeast settles in the neck of the bottle as a result of the typical “champagnization”. In a final step, the neck of the bottle is iced to allow the deposit which has accumulated here from the fermentation process to be removed in the form of a lump of ice.
Champagne production (bottle fermentation)