Assessment of Aboveground Winery Buildings for the Aging and Conservation of Wine

Abstract

Every year the wine sector moves billions of Euros around the world. In the high-quality wine production process, the temperature and relative humidity in the winery during the aging process have a decisive impact on the wine's final quality and on wine loss due to evaporation. To carry out the aging and conservation of wine, aboveground facilities are the most common solutions. This article studied how aboveground constructions without air condition systems respond to changes in the ambient conditions, analyzing the resulting indoor conditions. For this purpose, a study based on data obtained from a winery over several years was conducted. A simulation analysis to evaluate the thermal behavior in different wine-producing areas of the world was also performed. Results showed that the hygrothermal conditions in the cask facilities can go well beyond acceptable limits, especially during the summer months. The high temperature and low relative humidity could lead to rapid aging of the wine, reducing the quality and increasing wine losses. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the temperature and relative humidity stratification varied depending on the time of year, which has a direct impact on the handling of the wine and the number of casks levels used by winemakers. The results of this study could be used in the design of new wineries.