Development and Analysis of an Intensified Batch-Fed Wine Fermentation Process

Abstract

White wine fermentations are typically performed in an entirely batchwise manner, with yeast nutrients only added at the beginning of fermentation. This leads to slow (2+ weeks) fermentation cycle times, with large capital expenditures required to increase winery processing capacity. Prior attempts to speed fermentations via increasing temperature have resulted in unpalatable wine, and continuous fermentation processing is uneconomical and impractical in the winery setting. In this work, we measured yeast nutrient consumption as a function of fermentation progression at the 300 mL scale, and from this derived an equation to optimize yeast nutrient concentration as a function of fermentation progression. These findings were applied at the pilot scale in 150 L fermentors, which resulted in a 60% cycle time reduction versus “best practices” control fermentations. The resultant wines were compared via GC-MS as well as by a trained sensory panel. Organoleptic analysis found statistically significant, but overall, small differences in sensory characteristics between the control and process intensified wines. This intensified fermentation process shows great promise for fermented beverage producers wishing to maximize equipment utilization and debottleneck wineries or other beverage fermentation facilities.