Vinro WA RO

Reverse Osmosis – what it can achieve…

The Osmotop reverse osmosis system VINRO employs is one of the most versatile filters in our quiver. Its uses range from juice or wine concentration, taint removal in wines or sugar removal from juice.

No matter which of VINRO’s reverse osmosis methods of filtration you choose, the outcome is one of wine balance. We work closely with the winemakers and cellar team, tasting and discussing the wine or juice target so that we, as filter operators, know exactly what balanced flavour profile our customers are striving for.

Concentration of wine – balancing flavour with alcohol

Wine concentration can enhance the desirable components of wines while removing or masking some of the more stringent and off-flavour components.

This method of concentrating removes water and alcohol in equal proportions from the wine, whilst promoting and balancing three key elements: flavour, tannin and colour.

Winemakers and the VINRO staff use sensory evaluation to decide the best direction to move with the wine. By adjusting pressures and flow rates of the wine through the membranes certain specific characteristics can be either removed or enhanced. The key objective being, to balance the flavours, tannin and colour of wines whilst enhancing the true varietal and regional distinction.

Concentration of juice – balancing sugar with flavour

Using VINRO’s Reverse Osmosis filtration, winemakers can now increase sugar levels of wine before fermentation.

The same basic principal as wine concentration occurs – the key difference being that there is no alcohol to remove. In essence, you only remove water from grape juice, therefore increasing flavour and sugar levels.

A bonus of this system is the removal of some undesirable greener characters from the juice and resulting wine – all before fermentation. The juice, however, does need to be clean, and pre-filtration through a Crossflow filter is recommended before juice concentration occurs.

Redux – sugar adjustment – up or down.

Are your sugar levels looking a bit high this year? All the flavours you are looking for not quite there? Our advice is to let it hang until flavour ripeness occurs – then get the fruit processed and give VINRO a call.

Using a simple ‘drain off the concentrate’ theory VINRO can remove water from the juice drained off pre-ferment, pump the grape derived water directly back into the juice, effectively diluting the tank to the specific sugar level the winery requires. Legal, easy and leaving small tanks of concentrated juice that may be discarded or used in other wines to increase sugar levels – the possibilities grow.

The same theory applies to sugar concentration, we just do not reintroduce the water stream to the base juice.

Taint removal 4-EP.

4-EP reduction is a simple two step process, involving both the crossflow filtration and concentration of the problem wine.

The problem wine is crossflow filtered to reduce the Brettanomyces count it holds. We then concentrate this wine at specific pressures to target particular undesirible flavours associated with 4 – EP taint. The permeate stream is then carbon stripped before being reintroduced to the wine ensuring the taint flavours are reduced below typical sensory threshold.