Oxygen: the threat to wine bottling.

Italy is one of the most popular destinations for tourists.

They call it the land of wine, with a winemaking history that dates back more than 4,000 years.

Culture, history and good food, these are the reasons that push most travelers to stop in our beloved land.

Since times gone by, wine has been defined as a drink of life , as it is used to give joy, serenity and allay man's suffering.

Thanks to the presence of numerous vineyards and a predominantly mild temperature, Italy has managed to exploit the fertile lands, giving rise to profitable winemaking activities and becoming today one of the largest producers of quality wine in the world.

It is said that the best deals are concluded during business lunches or moments of conviviality, especially if accompanied by a good glass of wine.

But what makes this drink unique and special? What secrets does he hide?

When we sip a glass of wine we immediately pay attention to its flavour, aroma and colour.

Not everyone knows that a good wine does not only depend on the grapes, the climate, the vintage, the soil, but there are other factors that contribute to the formation of its flavour, such as the bottling process .

Bottling represents a delicate and important phase of the production process as the wine comes into contact with the air.

In fact, in the wine industry, oxygen is the threat most feared by those involved in bottling wine.

As in the food sector, in the wine sector the preservation of wine occurs through the use of gases.

In the storage phases, in order to ensure correct preservation of the wine, it is necessary to create atmospheres with a reduced quantity of oxygen. To overcome this drawback and obtain a quality product that maintains all the organoleptic substances, two gases are used: argon and nitrogen.

To preserve wine from oxidation it is necessary to know how to manage the entry of oxygen into the bottle, eliminating any accidental entry of it both in a direct form such as oxygen and in an indirect form: air.

In this regard, the minimum oxygen thresholds that may be present are reported:

  • 0.2-1.0 ppm for white wines
  • 0.5-1.2 ppm for red wines

Nitrogen is a really important gas.

Today it is the most used gas in the wine sector: odorless, colorless and does not react with wine.

Used in the food industry, it maintains the freshness of packaged foods and drinks.

Nitrogen is used in the wine bottling process, avoiding its oxidation. Argon is sometimes used as an alternative to nitrogen; the latter is an important inert gas, meaning it does not react in contact with other substances.

These gases can be used in pure form or mixed together.

Argon and nitrogen play a fundamental role in bottling processes:

  • They preserve the wine by avoiding the solubilization of excess oxygen;
  • They eliminate excess dissolved oxygen;
  • They transfer the wine by pushing, without having to resort to pumps;
  • They allow wine to be bottled in the absence of oxygen.

Cryotek Eng has already been operating in the food sector for several years and, thanks to its continuous studies and research, is also fully present in the wine sector.

In recent years Cryotek Eng has carried out several projects for important companies in the wine sector.

A line of products reserved for the wine sector.

Among the products on the price list we find the double-stage decompression panel suitable for the inerting of silos in the wine, oil and food sectors.

This system complies with current regulations for the food sector.

Extremely precise (thanks to the double reduction system), with a low cost and great ease of use,

What does the future hold for us in the wine sector?

In a few years, new systems and equipment could be created that will allow the wine sector to have greater control over the wine bottling process, thus more and more superior quality wines will be produced in an increasingly competitive market.

Cryotek Eng is able to respond to the most varied market requests, with certified and customized products.

The future is in the hands of those who know how to accept challenges and face change.

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