Laboratory requirements for small wineries By Rachel Gore1 and Robert Paul1

Wine Network Consulting, Oakleigh, Victoria

If only winemakers spent as much time and effort on choosing laboratory equipment as they do on choosing barrels or choosing what wine they will have to accompany dinner! Seriously though, a well-equipped and well-run laboratory is, in our view, indispensable for the making of quality wine. As winemaking consultants, we have a simple message for our clients: Get the appropriate equipment, perform the analyses, review the information, act accordingly and regard your lab as an integral part of your wine making operation. Even if your winemaking philosophy is based on minimal intervention, you will find life much easier if you at least know what it is you are not intervening in. Then, as the clich says, forewarned is forearmedyou can determine the level of input necessary to give you the result you want. An appropriate laboratory set-up is not complicated or necessarily expensive in the context of winery and vineyard establishment. We suggest a budget of $10,000$15,000, including fit-out, computer and equipment will suffice for a small winery crushing up to 500 tonnes. Software for winery management will add to this cost and should be regarded as indispensable under current legislative requirements.

Outsourcing
Those running small wineries often question the time, expense and effort involved in having a self-sufficient laboratory set-up. They claim its easier (and cheaper) to send analyses to external laboratories. There is no doubt that it is often easier but there are two distinct advantages in doing it yourself: Instant results Much cheaper per unit cost In addition, many remote areas are not well endowed with independent laboratories. Samples have to be shipped interstate or long distances intrastate. This all adds to the time delay. Running a laboratory in a small winery should not be expensive. You may find it significantly cheaper than outsourcing over time. However, you do need to ensure your equipment and methods function properly. This means regular operation and maintenance. If you cant guarantee these, then out-sourcing may be the best option.

Typical equipment required Less than 50 tonnes Hydrometer 2 pH meter 1 SO2 apparatus 1 Heat bath 1 Balance (top pan, 0.01 g) 1 Burettes/pipettes (for T/A 2 etc) Hotplate and stirrers 1

50-100 tonnes

100-500 tonnes

Status

2 1 2 1 1 2

4 1 3 1 1 4

Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential Essential

Essential

Spectrophotometer (UV/VIS) Alcohol still V/A (Markham still) Microscope Cell counting chamber (haemocytometer) Hotplate and magnetic stirrers Turbidity meter Filterability kit

Desirable

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

Desirable Desirable Desirable Desirable

Desirable

1 1

1 1

1 1

Desirable Desirable

(This list is not meant to be exhaustive and does not include glassware, refrigerator etc. It does provide what we regard as a minimum for successful in-house analysis)

Recommended tests Brix (or Baume) of juices and ferments: We recommend also that specific gravity is measured if you are using these numbers to predict likely final alcohol. You will need to multiply Brix or Baume by specific gravity to give the real sugar concentration in your juice. YAN (yeast assimilable nitrogen): Often neglected but can provide valuable predictions of likely ferment problems caused by low nutrient levels. pH: Indispensable and axiomatic in winemaking quality control. Make sure you look after your meter and electrode (see below). T/A: Important, easy to test and integral to wine taste. Yeast cell numbers and viability: Like YAN, often neglected but can be extremely useful in predicting fermentation problems. As alcohol levels increase across Australia, more and more stuck ferments are occurring. Looking more closely at your yeast can help prevent these before they occur. SO2 (free and total): Should be a regular and routine test. Reducing sugars (glucose/fructose): While Clinitest and Dextrochek tablets are very convenient, they are not accurate enough to determine absolutely whether your ferment has finished. The threat of Brettanomyces with residual sugar from incomplete fermentation of high alcohol reds is too serious to rely solely on Clinitest. Volatile acidity: A very useful test and we recommend that it is performed on juices and musts also. If you are doing some contract work for others, we suggest this is mandatory. Malo-lactic fermentation: Being able to perform this test in-house gives you much more flexibility. Alcohol: By all means, outsource this analysis for your label requirements but also do it yourself as a quality control measure. Recommended procedures and maintenance: 1. Brix: Hydrometerscalibrate (before and during vintage) against sugar solutions of known concentration. Clean regularly during vintage. Refractometers Any scratches on the prism or rough handling can cause misalignment of the zero on the scale. Calibrate zero on the brix scale by measuring with 20 degree distilled water and adjusting accordingly. 2. pH: Meterslook after your electrode. Clean regularly or if discoloured. Keep filled. Do not leave immersed in wine or juice for prolonged periods. Store in

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

recommended solution. Replace yearly. Calibrate daily during vintage using standardised buffer solutions pH 4.00 and pH 7.00. T/A measurements. Determination can be made using either pH meter or by titration using an indicator. In either case the wine sample must be degassed. Using pH meter meter to be standardised. Standardise NaOH solution by checking against standard solutions of HCl. Use fresh NaOH solution. When exposed to the air as in reservoirs for titration, a soda lime trap should be attached. Titration point read at calibration line corresponding to the bottom of the meniscus. SO2 analysis ensure solutions are fresh and standardised. Check air flow rate (1 litre/minute). Volatile acidity degas sample, standardise solutions, add H2O2 to eliminate SO2 interference, neutralise distilled water in recieval flask, check apparatus for leaks. Alcohol by distillation temperature variation, check apparatus for leaks, ensure equipment is clean. Malolactic Fermentation Using TLC ensure effectiveness of TLC sheets, ensure solvent is fresh, accurate spotting/ drying procedure, ensure chromatographic tank is clean. YAN Remove any gross solids from juice samples. Dilution factor must be taken into account when calculating results. Cell numbers and viability Ensure microscope is in good working order, accurate cell counting slide so that volume present in counting area is constant, mix yeast in order to avoid aggregation. Cell numbers prior to inoculation to juice should be 2 5x106 cells/ ml.

Frequency of testing

Test Brix pH TA SO2 Reducing Sugars Cell count Volatile Acidity Alcohol Malic acid

During Fermentation Daily Weekly Monthly

During Maturation Weekly Monthly Daily

Yearly

Conclusion Winemakers often leave the critical lab analyses until last or sometimes even forget them altogether until it is too late. To use another clich, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Knowing what is going on in your wine will help you avoid stuck fermentations,

volatility and other catastrophes, for which there may be no easy cure. It will also help you better understand your wines and their seasonal differences, as well as the impact of your winemaking decisions. Making juice and wine analysis a critical part of your winemaking method will allow greater control and influence over your end product. After all, isnt that control and influence why you choose that particular vineyard, harvest date or barrel? The authors are winemaking consultants with Wine Network Consulting whose offices are at 29 Dalgety St, Oakleigh, VIC 3166. They can be contacted by email at: rgore@winenet.com.au or robwine@winenet.com.au