Two University of California-trained winemakers have created a venture which offers a unique service.
What the equipment also will do is unstick a fermentation, including a fermentation that was stuck for a year. Smith said that between 1-2% of North Coast reds develop V.A. no matter what the winemaker does. He and Jones agree that, inasmuch as R/O can correct many a winemaking boo-boo, the process gives advocates of natural yeast and/or barrel fermentations a safety net in the event something goes wrong.* remove volatile acid, tannin, color and ethanol;Gnekow said the demographics indicate the typical Ariel consumer has a high income, is male, and likes to travel.What else can the technology do? How about increasing ethanol content. And removing acetaldehydes.A note of caution for other wineries contemplating entering the no-ethanol field: production staffs for regular and no-ethanol wine must be kept separate to maintain focus. The same is true for the marketing side.Gnekow estimates there are between 15 and 20 producers of no-ethanol wine worldwide. He said France has two, Germany six, Italy and Spain, none, and Australia three. The U.S. has three: Ariel, Sutter Home and St. Regis.Vinovation has spec sheets on both the V.A. removal and ethanol removal. For the former, the sheet reads "wine from the tank (1) is transferred; via a pump (2) to a reverse osmosis housing (3) As the wine flows past the reverse osmosis membrane (4) a small portion of the fluid diffuses through the membrane. The retentate (5) or that portion of the wine that does not pass through the membrane, is essentially the same as the untreated wine except it has a slightly lower amount of alcohol, water and acetic acid. The permeate (6) is then passed through an anion exchange column (7) which contains an inert resin that binds the acetic acid and lets the alcohol and water pass through. What passes through the column (8) is then recombined with the retentate (5) and returned to the wine tank." Current regulations permit Vinovation to move its V.A. removal system from winery to winery.The first Ariel production, using a prototype model (from Millipore) was 5,000 cases. With greatly-expanded production facilities, Ariel projected sales of 150,000 cases by year-end '93 and more than 170,000 cases this year.Where is the market for wines such as Ariel? Gnekow says there's no doubt Europe, especially the southern Mediterranean, will be a big market in the '90s. He says people with a wine culture and lifestyle will be receptive to non-ethanol wines. Initially, it was thought that non-drinking Arab countries might pose a prospect. No dice: no wine culture.While there are others out there, Ariel does lay claim to several firsts, including the first to use R/O, first to leave champagne en tirage for a minimum of six years, the first and only to win medals in wine judgings against wines with ethanol and the first to vintage-date with appellation.The Water Recovery System continues to perform as smoothly and as efficiently as when it was first installed: reducing water intake volume into the plant; reducing the volume of wastewater; reducing wastewater treatment costs; all this while maintaining minimal operating costs for the company.While noting that no negative character has been found in the 550,000 gallons treated, Smith says there is risk. He says sometimes progress isn't what it's cracked up to be, citing the use of electricity which allows winemakers to pump over during fermentation rather than punching down the cap.That was then; fast-forward to 1994.Now, who are these guys? Clark Smith attended M.I.T--his father was an Apollo project engineer--before coming to California. Eventually, he attended U.C., Davis where he earned both B.S. and Masters degrees in Fermentation Science. He co-founded the R.H. Phillips Vineyard in 1983, and in 1990 founded WineSmith Consulting. Among his projects was the Benziger International Imagery blending project. He teaches classes on wine production at U.C. Extension and at Napa Valley College.
Whatever you call it, just don't call it "weird science."
Author: Philip E. Hiaring
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