ADDIS ABEBA SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY
COLLAGE OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

PROCESS INDUSTRY:- II

INSTRUCTOR: Ibsa Neme (Msc. Process engineering)

 Introduction to Winemaking

Wine is product made by alcoholic fermentation of grapes or grape juice unless otherwise
specified, by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a subsequent ageing process.
Alcohol content is 11-14 %, but may be as low as 7 %.
 Overview of winemaking
Almost wine making process is similar to beer production process.
Grapes are fermented by yeast and converted into wine.
Winemaking procedure(s) differs at winemaker, winery, region, and country level.
Many different techniques, recipes, outcomes.
Desired wine style dictates much of winemaking techniques employed.
Money, time and employees also important.
A general schematic of common steps in red and white winemaking is presented as follows;
 Classification of wine product
Depending on alcohol content
- Table wines --<14 %
- Dessert or fortified -->14%
Depending on color
- White and Red
Depending on test
- Dry wine
- Sweet wine
Depending on gas content
- Still wine
- Sparkling/shampagn wine
Distinctive character of various wines depends on
- composition of wine
- nature of fermentation process
- processing and aging treatments
From all of the above types let’s discuss Table (red) wine production process
 Winery Operations
Harvest
Crush
Must/juice of grape Additions
Pressing
Settling/Racking
Fermentation(s)
Aging/Blending
Filtering/Cold Stabilization
Bottling
Harvesting

There are over 4000 varieties of grapes used in the production of wine.

Grapes are usually harvested from early September to the beginning of November.

Harvesting or picking is certainly the first step in the actual wine making process.

In order to make fine wine, grapes must be harvested at the precise time, preferably when
physiologically ripe.

Harvesting can be done mechanically or by hand.

Once the grapes arrive at the winery, reputable;

winemakers will sort the grape bunches,

culling out rotten or under ripe fruit before crushing.

Mechanical pressing has also improved the quality and longevity of wine, while reducing the
winemaker's need for preservatives.
Maturity of grape first determined
Factors taken in to consideration:
- Sugar content-20%
- PH – 3-3.5
- Potential alcohol content---11-13%
Stemming/Crushing
Stemming:- is the separation of the stems and grapes (which are sends to the press).
Crushing:- A horizontal press squeezes the broken grapes, separating the fresh juice (must) from
the skins. Objectives
To remove the stalks(stem) to prevent any bitterness.
To crush grape partially and SO2 is added on this part for antimicrobial.
Pressing
The juice extraction process depends on the type of wines to be used, but always involves
squeezing the berries/fruits.
After pressing the juice is allowed to stand to separate the solids.
If necessary the juice may be clarified by filtration or centrifugation.
Fermentation
Sugar and acids that naturally react with wild yeasts.
Fermentation can take from 10 to 30 days to convert natural sugar to alcohol.
 Fermentation of red wine takes place with grape solids, in order to extract color from skin
 Fermentation continued until alcohol content 11-14%
 There are two types of fermentation takes place:
 Primary (alcoholic fermentation)
 Secondary(malo-lactic fermentation)
Alcoholic fermentation
o The cultured yeast most often used for alcoholic fermentation S.cervisiae is added.
oFor red wine 3-5 days at 20 -30°C
oFor white wines 7-14 days at 10-18°C
oReduction of density( Brix zero) tells fermentation stops
Factors affecting fermentation
 Temperature
 Sugar concentration
 Acid content
 Amount of sulfite added
The lower the temperature the higher the alcohol yield is obtained.
Due to a more complete fermentation (better sugar utilization) and less loss of alcohol
incorporate with CO2.
Maceration
 Left wine to soak with the skins until sufficient color , flavor, and tannins are extracted.
Racking
 Transferring juice or wine from one vessel to another, leaving any sediment behind
Draining

Liquid wine is drained from the vat without being pressed and go into barrels (free-run wine).

The remaining pulp retains about 20% of the wine.

Pressing

The remaining pulp, after draining, is pressed to squeeze out the press wine.

The press wine tends to be dark, harsh and unpalatable, and is mixed with free-run wine to
produce something decent.

Mixing

The free-run wine and press wine, always from the same source, are mixed together in
appropriate ratios to obtain the desired balance.
Malo-lactic fermentation is
Secondary fermentation
Converts malic acid in to lactic acid using lacobacillus bacteria
During these process a by-product called Diacetyl is produced that gives a distinct butter flavor
to the wine
Clarification
Clarification is the step of stabilization of fermentation.
During clarification all remaining solids are removed from the fermented liquid.
By addition of fine agents such as Bentonite, diatomaceous earth
Clarification done in numerous ways:
Fining, a process that calls for the addition of substances that cause the solids in the liquid to
adhere to one another and sink to the bottom of the vat.
Fining is;
 Removal of colloids, lighter materials that can not removed by racking and centrifuge
 If not removed they will cause the wine to look cloudy
The colloids are electro statically charged and can be removed by adding another colloid with
the opposite charge--Bentonite
Aging
At this point, the clarified wine is transferred into either wooden barrels or metal vats in which
the wine is allowed to further mature and develop flavors.
Average time a wine is held for maturation is 9-22 months
Bottling
The final step of wine production.
Treatments to ensure final stability, pasteurization and sterilization
Corks are traditional way of closing wine bottles…which is made up of oak tree
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