Lodi Vintners flashes the future of winemaking with new system

Every Tuesday on the BottleBlog, we'll focus on interesting or exciting industry news from here in New Jersey, to the valleys of California, to the vineyards of New Zealand. Today, we learn about the "future of winemaking."

Lodi Vintners flashes the future of winemaking with new system
by Jordan Guinn, News-Sentinel Staff Writer

As a freight train rumbles by Lodi Vintners on East Woodbridge Road on a crisp November morning, a million-dollar innovation new to Lodi is helping create a better glass of wine.

Known as a flash détente, the system of tanks and pumps is a symphony of technology that Tyson Rippey, director of operations for The Vintners Group, said not only gives red wines better color and aromatic qualities, but can also reduce the risk of grapes rotting and increase the sugar content of the wine because it can remove 6 to 7 percent of the water in the fruit.

Four thousand tons of Cabernet grapes from Napa were getting the high-tech treatment on Monday morning as the juices, skins and stems of the fruit were heated to 180 degrees and then funneled to a vacuum chamber to cool after being crushed. The rapid changes in temperature cause an explosion inside the grapes, unleashing the flavor and color attributes winemakers desire. The heated grapes also release condensation, or flash water, which rids the mixture of undesirable odors and flavors.

The pungent discharged water is kept for clients, so they can see what see the benefits of the process.

“When they smell the flash water, they either get it or they don’t,” Rippey said.

The water can be added in small doses during fermentation or discarded altogether — it’s the winemaker’s choice, Rippey said.

Flash détente was developed in the 1990s in France and is slowly gaining popularity in the United States. Hahn Estates in Monterey County is the only other winery in California that has the system.

The system, made by Italian supplier Della Toffola Group, not only helps vintners make higher-quality wines, it also streamlines the process, Rippey said. Since the grapes are heated, winemakers can begin fermentation the minute the mixture leaves the vacuum chamber. It also gives them more control because winemakers have the option of fermenting the mixture with the skins on the grapes, or separating it and just fermenting the juice.

The risk of grapes rotting is reduced through the technology, Rippey said. The grapes are warmed and processed as they arrive, so they and aren’t sitting on each other when damp. Heating the grapes dries them and prevents any molds from attacking the fruit once it reaches Lodi Vintners. On average, the system can process 30 tons of grapes in an hour.

The parts for the flash détente at Lodi Vintners, which has been running since the beginning of October, came from all over the world. The condenser came from Argentina, while the pump and motor came from Italy, he said.

The company is looking forward to having the system up and running for a full crush next year, Rippey said.

This article was originally published Tuesday, November 9, 2010 in the Lodi News-Sentinel.