Experimental Tests in Production of Ready-to-Drink Primitive Wine with Different Modes of Circulation of the Fermenting Must

Abstract

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important issue in the wine industry worldwide. The focus on quality in wine production has led to increased attention being paid to the product at all stages of processing. The interaction with mechanical components is considered one of the possible critical points in the vinification process, and it becomes fundamental to optimize specific points in the wine production line using the best extraction technique. Therefore, in this work, experimental monitoring of two types of product circulation systems in fermentation was carried out in a winery in Puglia (Italy). In particular, the functional performance and energy consumption of two identical vinification lines were monitored, in which the only variables were two types of circulating systems for the fermenting must: pump-over and pneumatic cap breaking. During the trials, a homogeneous batch of Primitivo grapes was processed, hand-picked and taken to the winery within 1 h of harvesting, where a “ready-to-drink” wine production line was set up. A net quantity of 1000 hL of destemmed grapes was placed in two identical vertical steel tanks. Both wine tanks were monitored and equipped with an automated assembly system and a pneumatic marc breaker. Once both tanks were filled, a first break of the cap was carried out using a pneumatic system in one tank and an automatic pump-over in the other. For the grapes and type of wine studied, the pneumatic system showed better functional performance in terms of vinification speed and energy consumption; on the other hand, the pump-over system performed better in analytical terms. Finally, the results obtained highlight the need for further studies on equipment design to obtain significant benefits in terms of wine production costs while maintaining the quality standards required for “ready-to-drink” wines.