When economic downturn disrupts cashflow, wineries big and small look for ways to restructure expenses. Services like alcohol and VA adjustment ordinarily incur expenses around bottling time. Some wineries are choosing to buy or lease equipment to spread out the cost on a monthly basis, over several years.

Previously, these capabilities were only available as a service, or as separate, stand-alone units for large wineries. Mavrik North America introduces two new modular wine-tuning systems for small wineries, putting multiple wine processing functions into one small package.

These systems, based on Mavrik’s commercially available services, are equipped standard to reduce alcohol and/or volatile acidity. Additional capabilities include smoke taint removal, sulfide(s) reduction, and more. Options include potassium removal (prevent KHT precipitation) among others.

The computer-controlled central unit is a nano-membrane system that makes a low pressure separation, allowing water, alcohol, and VA to pass, but protecting the more sensitive phenolic and aromatic components from treatment. The alcohol, water, and VA stream is then either passed through a bed that adsorbs acetic acid, or along a second membrane that extracts alcohol. This stream, minus VA or Alcohol, recombines with the rest of the wine in a fluid, continuous process.

Like Mavrik’s commercially available services, alcohol is extracted across a membrane with no heat and processing loss limited solely to the alcohol removed. VA is adsorbed efficiently with no measurable loss from processing. Both procedures are carried out without loss of aromatic components or damage to or reduction of phenols.

These compact systems have the footprint of a portatank, low operating costs and are made in Sonoma County. Simple push-button operation overlays the computer-controlled operating parameters.

The Small Winery model reduces 400 gallons/hr by 1% in alcohol or by 30% in VA and costs $49,500. The Boutique Winery model reduces 200 gallons by 1% in alcohol or by 30% in VA and costs $32,500.

About Mavrik North America
Mavrik North America (MNA) is a world leader in wine treatment processes and systems. From its headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA, MNA manufactures and distributes its equipment nationally and internationally and operates its field services throughout the United States.