In-line dosing of white wine for bentonite fining with centrifugal clarification

Abstract

In-line dosing with bentonite provides an alternative to traditional batch fining for the removal of haze-forming proteins from white wine. When combined with centrifugation, in-line dosing can reduce wine losses and quality downgrades. In this production-scale study, Chardonnay and Semillon-Chardonnay wines were fined with three commercially available bentonites. A contact time of approximately 3 minutes was adequate for adsorption of the haze-forming proteins. No significant sensory difference was observed in the wines treated by in-line dosing and by batch fining. However, some carryover of bentonite into the centrifuge product was observed. This carryover was substantially lower when using a sodium-calcium bentonite compared with a sodium bentonite. The carryover was also significantly reduced by operating the centrifuge at lower flow rates. Copyright © 2007 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. All rights reserved.