PLANT AND PROCESS FOR OBTAINING CLEAR MUST FROM GRAPES AND FOR VINIFICATION

Abstract

A plant is described for obtaining clear must from grapes including at least one centrifugal separator device with horizontal axis that is arranged to carry out a first separating operation, through application of a centrifugal force, between the liquid phase or must and the solid phase from the grape berries in solid state, and at least one tank for settling and/or flotation, either spontaneous or possibly promoted through injection of gas, said tank for settling and/or flotation being arranged downstream of the centrifugal separator device with horizontal axis, said tank for settling and/or flotation being configured to receive the must from such a centrifugal separator device with horizontal axis and being configured to carry out a second separating operation between the liquid part of the must and the respective solid residue or tank bottoms. The plant also includes, upstream of the centrifugal separator device with horizontal axis, at least one tank operatively connected to at least one device for feeding at least partially intact grape berries to the plant. The tank is arranged to contain additives, in particular adjuvant and/or clarifying substances, that are added to the grape berries when such grape berries are still at least partially intact. A method for obtaining clear must from grapes using the aforementioned plant is moreover described.

Claims

1. A plant for obtaining clear must from grape berries comprising: at least one centrifugal separator device with a horizontal axis that is arranged to carry out a first separating operation, through application of a centrifugal force, between a liquid phase or must and a solid phase from the grape berries when in a solid state; and at least one first tank for settling and/or flotation, said at least one first tank being arranged downstream of the at least one centrifugal separator device, said at least one first tank being configured to receive the must from said at least one centrifugal separator device and being configured to carry out a second separation operation between a liquid part and a solid residue of the must; and at least one second tank upstream of the centrifugal separator device, said at least one second tank being operatively connected to at least one device for feeding at least partially intact grape berries to said plant, said at least one second tank being arranged to contain additives that are added to the grape berries when said grape berries are still at least partially intact.

2. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said additives comprise adjuvant and/or clarifying substances.

3. The plant according to claim 2, wherein said adjuvant and/or clarifying substances are selected from the group consisting of gelatine, proteins and cationic flocculants.

4. The plant according to claim 2, wherein said additives consist of enzymes.

5. The plant according to claim 4, wherein said at least one second tank comprises a first container containing the enzymes.

6. The plant according to claim 5, wherein the first container is operatively connected to a homogenizer device arranged between said at least one second tank and the at least one centrifugal separator device, wherein an addition operation of said enzymes to the grape berries while the grape berries are still at least partially intact is carried out inside said homogenizer device.

7. The plant according to claim 5, wherein said at least one second tank further comprises at least one second container containing the adjuvant and/or clarifying substances, which are added to the grape berries after the grape berries have come out from the homogenizer device and before the grape berries have entered into the at least one centrifugal separator device.

8. The plant according to claim 1, further comprising a destemming or crushing-destemming device upstream of the at least one centrifugal separator device, said destemming or crushing-destemming device being capable of separating the grape berries from the stems or separating the grape berries from the stems and crushing the grape berries.

9. The plant according to claim 1, further comprising a gas mixer arranged between the at least one centrifugal separator device and the at least one first tank, said gas mixer being configured to strip oxygen from the must.

10. A process for obtaining clear must from grape berries in the plant according to claim 1, the process comprising the steps of: feeding the grape berries into the plant; controlled addition of adjuvant and/or clarifying substances to said grape berries while the grape berries are still at least partially intact; centrifuging said grape berries, in such a way as to separate the liquid phase or must from the solid phase; extracting and collecting the solid phase in a respective storage container; and settling and/or flotation of the liquid phase or must so that the liquid phase of said must and the solid residue are separated.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein said adjuvant and/or clarifying substances are selected from the group consisting of gelatine, proteins and cationic flocculants.

12. The process according to claim 10, further comprising the step of controlled addition of enzymes to the grape berries while the grape berries are still at least partially intact, said step of controlled addition of enzymes being upstream of the step of controlled addition of adjuvant and/or clarifying substances to the grape berries.

13. The process according to claim 10, further comprising the step of destemming or crushing-destemming to separate said grape berries from the stem or to separate the grape berries from the stem and press crush the grape berries, said step of destemming or crushing-destemming being upstream of the step of controlled addition of adjuvant and/or clarifying substances to the grape berries.

14. The process according to claim 10, further comprising the step of fermenting said must, said step of fermenting being downstream of the settling and/or flotation step of the liquid phase or must.

15. The process according to claim 10, wherein the process is applied in the separation of the solid parts of the grape berries (skin and seeds) after the oenological processes that foresee a maceration step of white and red grapes.

16. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first tank for settling and/or flotation operates spontaneously or is promoted through injection of gas.

17. The plant according to claim 3, wherein said additives consist of enzymes.

18. The plant according to claim 6, wherein said at least one second tank further comprises at least one second container containing the adjuvant and/or clarifying substances, which are added to the grape berries after the grape berries have come out from the homogenizer device and before the grape berries have entered into the at least one centrifugal separator device.

19. The plant according to claim 2, further comprising a destemming or crushing-destemming device upstream of the at least one centrifugal separator device, said destemming or crushing-destemming device being capable of separating the grape berries from the stems or separating the grape berries from the stems and crushing the grape berries.

20. The plant according to claim 3, further comprising a destemming or crushing-destemming device upstream of the at least one centrifugal separator device, said destemming or crushing-destemming device being capable of separating the grape berries from the stems or separating the grape berries from the stems and crushing the grape berries.

Description

[0024] The characteristics and the advantages of a plant and of a process for obtaining clear must from grapes according to the present invention shall become clearer from the following description, given as an example and not for limiting purposes, with reference to the attached schematic drawings in which the single FIGURE is a schematic view of the main components of such a plant.

[0025] With reference to the FIGURE, this shows a plant for obtaining clear must from grapes according to the present invention, wholly indicated with reference numeral 10. The plant 10 is essentially made up of at least one centrifugal separator device with horizontal axis or decanter 12 that carries out a first separating operation, through application of a centrifugal force, between the liquid phase or must and the solid phase from the grape berries. The centrifugal separator device 12 can indeed be configured so as to directly receive the grape berries without stems. In case of the processing of grapes picked manually, the plant can be provided, upstream of the centrifugal separator device 12, of a special device 14 for destemming or crushing capable of separating the grapes from the relative stem and possibly press them. The solids extracted from the centrifugal separator device 12 are expelled from the plant 10 and can be treated according to procedures of the known type.

[0026] The plant 10 also comprises, downstream of the centrifugal separator device 12, at least one tank for stating settling and/or flotation 16 that receives the must from such a centrifugal separator device 12 and in which there is possibly a second separating operation between the liquid part of the must and the respective solid residue or tank bottoms. This second separating operation can be spontaneous, or it can be facilitated by using gas (nitrogen or air) injected and dissolved in line before the tank for settling and/or flotation 16 through suitable systems, one of which is described in greater detail hereafter. In such a way it is simple to easily induce a subsequent separation of the residual solids through flotation and/or partial sedimentation. The must, possibly clarified by means of a production step that shall be described in greater detail in the rest of the description, is sent to special fermentation tanks (not shown), whereas the solid residue or sediment is expelled from the plant 10 so as to possibly undergo known types of treatment.

[0027] According to the invention, the plant 10 comprises, upstream of the centrifugal separator device 12, at least one tank 18 operatively connected to at least one device 22 for feeding at least partially intact grape berries to said plant 10. Said at least one tank 18 contains additives that are added to the grape berries when such grape berries are still at least partially intact. In particular, these additives are made up of adjuvant and/or clarifying substances and possibly also of enzymes. As an alternative, the enzymes (pectolytic enzymes) can be added also in previous processing steps, like for example during mechanical picking. This intervention is known and is often used in conventional grape processing. On the contrary, in plants and in processes known to this day, the clarifying substances (like for example gelatine, proteins, bentonite, silica gel or silica sol and others) are added only to the liquid phases (must or wine).

[0028] In detail, the tank 18 comprises a first container 18A containing the enzymes, which is operatively connected to a homogenizer device 20 that is arranged between such a tank 18 and the centrifugal separator device 12. Inside the homogenizer device 20 there is thus an addition operation of such enzymes in the product made up of grape berries that are at least partially crushed and of a must liquid fraction. As previously mentioned, the enzymes could also be added to the grape berries before they are introduced inside the homogenizer device 20, as illustrated in the FIGURE.

[0029] The tank 18 also comprises at least one other container 18B containing the adjuvant and/or clarifying substances, in particular made up of gelatine, proteins or cationic flocculants, which are added to the grape berries after they have come out from the homogenizer device 20 and before they have entered the centrifugal separator device 12.

[0030] The process for obtaining clear must from grapes according to the present invention is thus carried out according to the following steps. After a preliminary step of feeding the grape berries, which may or may not be destemmed, into the plant 10, there is a step of controlled addition of enzymes, which are dispensed from the first container 18A, to such grape berries while they are still in their solid phase. There is then a further step of controlled addition of adjuvant and/or clarifying substances, which are dispensed from the second container 18B, to the grape berries themselves while they are still at least partially intact.

[0031] The grape berries now with additives subsequently undergo a step of centrifugation in the centrifugal separator device 12, in such a way as to separate the liquid phase or must from the solid phase and the turbid flocculated substance by means of the specific clarifying substances used. Both the must, and the solids are thus extracted and collected in respective storing recipients.

[0032] The liquid part of the clarified must is finally sent to the final fermentation step without it being necessary for there to be further processing steps. As an alternative, the must can be further and more easily clarified with other conventional processes (sedimentation, flotation, filtration, centrifugation). Again as an alternative, the must may not be intended for fermentation but rather for the production of juices or other non-fermented semi-finished products. The final result of the process according to the present invention indeed consists of a must that is already clarified and of a quality that is at least the same as that of a must which could be obtained with conventional processes. With the process according to the present invention it is moreover possible to drastically reduce the amount of sediment that is separated through sedimentation and/or flotation in the special tank 16 with respect to what occurs in conventional processes, making it possible to even recover the must from such a tank for settling and/or flotation 16 through the centrifugal separator device 12.

[0033] Before the final fermentation step the operations carried out on the crushed grapes (white or ros) in the vinification step promote the oxygenation of the must and can lead to its oxidation. The control of this oxygenation allows oxidative phenomena to be reduced and therefore allows the negative impact on the chemicals of the wine and, consequently, on its aromatic intensity, to be limited, while it ensures an improvement in the stability of the wine itself.

[0034] The process for obtaining clear must from grapes according to the present invention makes it possible to drastically shorten the times and the number of operations to obtain the desired level of clarification. Such shortness and simplicity of the process offers the possibility of controlling the level of oxygenation as required by using gas (normally nitrogen) in the centrifugal extraction step and in the step immediately after.

[0035] The process foresees to inject the inert gas, directly together with the crushed grapes, in inlet to the centrifugal separator device 12, in predetermined points outside of such a centrifugal separator device 12 and close to the outlet point of the clarified must (see FIGURE). Through this injection of inert gas it is possible to reduce the oxygenation of the must up to over 60%. The remaining oxygen, which may have been transferred to the must in the centrifugal extraction step, is subjected to stripping with the help of a gas mixer 24, arranged between the centrifugal separator device 12 and the tank for settling and/or flotation 16.

[0036] It has thus been seen that the plant and the process for obtaining clear must from grapes according to the present invention obtain the purposes that were previously highlighted. Actually, the plant and the process according to the present invention can substitute traditional plants provided with press and clarification machinery (filtration, flotation or centrifugation), eliminating the equipment and the auxiliary steps (storing in the tanks, manipulations and pauses, filtration of the tank bottoms, must cooling, etc.). In addition, in the case in which the grape is picked mechanically, even the further destemming/crushing-destemming and homogenisation step can be eliminated.

[0037] The advantages of the plant and of the process according to the present invention can thus be summarised as follows: cutting down of the cost, lower environmental impact (high sustainability), advantages in the production processes of the grape coming from mechanical grape harvest (quick production in a single step, possible elimination of the destemming/crushing-destemming device), greater yield, lower water consumption and lower use of cooling systems, due to the fact that the process substantially occurs at room temperature and that it is only necessary to cool the already clarified must.

[0038] The plant and the process for obtaining clear must from grapes of the present invention thus conceived can in any case undergo numerous modifications and variants, all covered by the same inventive concept; moreover, all the details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. In practice the materials used, as well as the shapes and sizes, may be any according to the technical requirements.

[0039] Finally, such a process with the suitable modifications and variants, but operating conceptually on the same principle, can be applied to separate the solid parts of the grape (skin and seeds) after the oenological processes that foresee a maceration step of the white and red grapes: cold maceration, skin maceration, hot maceration, flash detente, carbonic maceration, etc.

[0040] The scope of protection of the invention is thus defined in the attached claims.