Nitrogen plays a pivotal role in winemaking, offering a versatile solution to maintain and enhance the quality of wine throughout various stages of production. This blog serves as a technical guide to understand and optimise the use of nitrogen in winemaking processes and explores the benefits of onsite nitrogen generation systems over traditional cylinder supply.
Nitrogen, due to its inert properties, does not react chemically with wine, making it ideal for preserving wine's integrity. It effectively reduces dissolved oxygen levels, which are often responsible for undesirable oxidation and spoilage. Using nitrogen leads to measurable improvements in wine stability, enhanced flavour preservation, and extended shelf life, all crucial for maintaining the high quality demanded in today’s competitive market.
Flushing: Using nitrogen to displace oxygen from storage vessels and transfer pipelines is a critical step in preparing winemaking equipment. By thoroughly flushing tanks, barrels, and hoses, wineries can significantly reduce the risk of oxidation. According to industry practices, achieving a reduction in oxygen levels from roughly 20% to below 1% generally requires flushing the vessel with nitrogen at least 3.25 times its volume. This approach ensures complete oxygen displacement, preserving the sensory qualities of the wine (WineMaker Magazine).
Sparging: Sparging involves introducing nitrogen bubbles directly into the wine to remove dissolved oxygen, which stabilises the wine and maintains its aroma integrity. When compared to other gases like carbon dioxide or argon, nitrogen often proves superior due to its inertness and effectiveness. Technical advice includes using fine bubble diffusers for enhanced surface area contact, ensuring efficient oxygen removal. According to the Australian Wine Research Institute, maintaining an optimal pressure range between 1.5 and 2 bar ensures consistent bubble size and distribution. Additionally, adjusting the sparging duration based on wine volume and type enhances oxygen removal without overexposing the wine to gas. Monitoring the dissolved oxygen levels throughout the process ensures that the desired oxygen reduction is achieved effectively.
Blanketing: In this process, nitrogen creates a protective layer over wine during fermentation, ageing or storage to shield it from oxygen exposure. Practical insights for wineries include how to calculate nitrogen flow rates and maintain consistent pressure to ensure prolonged stability and prevent spoilage.
Bottling: During bottling, nitrogen is used to flush out oxygen from bottles before filling, capping, and sealing. This step is vital for extending the shelf life of wine by minimising oxidative stress during and after the bottling process. Winemakers must ensure they are correctly adjusting nitrogen pressures for consistent bottle purging.
Best Practices for Nitrogen Application: Setting up equipment correctly for effective nitrogen use in flushing, sparging, blanketing, and bottling processes is essential. Gases should be food grade, and purity should be 99.5% or above. Ensuring that nitrogen overuse is avoided by calculating the required volumes for different applications helps wineries use resources efficiently. To gain more control over the process, switching from nitrogen cylinders to onsite nitrogen generation is typically an effective solution.
Onsite Nitrogen Generators vs. Cylinders: Onsite nitrogen generators offer several advantages over traditional cylinders, including:
Optimising nitrogen use is not just about improving wine quality—it’s about embracing innovation in winemaking processes. Gas Generation Australia’s onsite nitrogen generators offer a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective solution for modern wineries. For more details on how our systems can enhance your winemaking process, visit Gas Generation Australia and discover the benefits of tailored nitrogen solutions.
