Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Champagne and other Beverages Charged with Carbonic Acid.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Oct., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Champagne and other
Beverages Charged with Carbonic Acid.
I, Dr. FRANZ KÖNIG of Turin, Italy, Professor of Chemistry, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
For the production of champagne and other sparkling wines by fermentation in
large receptacles two methods have heretofore been employed. In the older,
French, method the ferment which is slowly deposited during the last portion of
the fermentation, is simply drawn off by a cock. With the second process, known
as Reihlen's process, the ferment is kept back by means of finely divided vegetable
fibre.
The first process requires a long time, and with both processes a previous
clarification of the wine is necessary, while at the same time it is not at all
certain that ferment germs do not remain in the wine so as to act detrimentally
thereon.
My present invention has for its object to remove the whole of the ferment,
and other detrimental constituents, by a much more reliable method, namely by
filtration.
This operation must however be carried out in an essentially different
manner from that which has been hitherto employed for non-sparkling beer and
wine.
It must not be effected too rapidly and by means of light voluminous filters, as is
the case with beer and wine, as otherwise the sparkling quality and the aroma
would suffer, but the filtration must take place comparatively slowly, preferably
simultaneously with the fermentation and under pressure and corresponding counter
pressure.
By means of this process the duration of the manufacture of sparkling
wines is considerably shortened, as the operations of the clearing and the
fining are done away with, and cloudy fermenting liquids can be utilised.
The fermentation can be accelerated by the addition of good ferment or good
grape cake or must, or by the use of asbestos, pumice stone, charcoal or other
similar substances.
These latter have the property of absorbing from must and other nitrogenous
liquids, a large proportion of the nitrogen, and thus become effective breeding beds
for ferment organisms.
If therefore the said materials are left in contact with fermenting must and
the like, they absorb nitrogen and ferments, and act as powerful exciters of
fermentation.
For carrying out the process, apparatus can be employed which I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying drawing.
The wine to be treated is introduced, with or without the addition of the said
ferments, into the receiver A Fig. 1 through the pipe with the cock a.
The vessel A being filled, and any remaining air therein, as also that in the
vessel B, being driven out by means of carbonic acid, all the cocks are closed with
the exception of b. Between the recipients A and B is a third smaller vessel D or
several such, two being shewn on the drawing, which vessels contain filters C.
These are of porous but sufficiently dense material so as to effect the purposes of the
filtration in the most perfect possible manner.
The filters may have any desired form, such as a disc, cylinder, cone, or hollow
cylinder in which the filtration is effected from the outer side inwards.

page_text: As filtering medium may serve any neutral porous, fibrous, spongy or pulverulent
material, such as asbestos, cotton wool, pumice stone, paper pulp, burnt clay, in the
form of porous earthenware pipes &c.
The position of the filters is also optional, so that the filtration .takes place
either upwards, downwards or sideways. The filtering device might also be arranged
directly in the recipient A, as indicated at Fig. 2; but a separate filtering vessel is
preferable.
At the commencement of the fermenting process the pressure rises equally in
both vessels A and B, the cocks b being open.
When it has attained a certain degree, the cocks bare closed and the cocks cc₁₁
of the filters are opened, so that with the increasing pressure in A a continual
uniformly advancing filtration through the filters C will take place.
The resulting beverage which collects in B and can be drawn off thence directly
into bottles, is brilliantly clear, effervesces perfectly, and is very durable.
In order to accelerate the fermentation, the recipient A can be heated either
externally or by means of internal pipes or coils, while the recipient B can be
cooled in an analogous manner. By such cooling the excess of cream of tartar is
also separated, so as not to be deposited afterwards in the bottles.
This separation of the tartar can also be effected in a separate highly
refrigerated vessel through which the wine is passed before entering the
vessel B.
The recipient B can also be placed at a lower level, as for instance in a cellar,
while the recipient A is placed in a higher locality.
If in this case the difference of height is sufficient, the cocks b can be left
open during both the fermentation and the filtration, as in that case the pressure of
the liquid column will be sufficient for the filtration. The pressure gauges applied
to the recipients must however not indicate too great a difference of pressure.
It will be evident that the carbonic acid produced by fermentation can be in part
replaced by artificial carbonic acid pumped in; in certain cases also, the filtration
can be accelerated by means of a force pump situated between the recipient A and
the filters.
This process is applicable not only to the manufacture of champagne but also for
all other kinds of sparkling or effervescing fermented liquids.
Dated this 16th day of January 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Champagne and other
Beverages Charged with Carbonic Acid.
I Dr. FRANZ KÖNIG of Turin, Italy, Professor of Chemistry, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
For the production of champagne and other sparkling wines by fermentation in
large receptacles two methods have heretofore been employed. In the older,
French, method the ferment which is slowly deposited during the last portion
of the fermentation, is simply drawn off by a cock. With the second process,
known as Reihlan's process, the ferment is kept back by means of finely divided
vegetable fibre.
The first process requires a long time, and with both processes a previous
clarification of the wine is necessary, while at the same time it is not at all
certain that ferment germs do not remain in the wine so as to act detrimentally
thereon:
My present invention has for its object to remove the whole of the ferment,

page_text: and other detrimental constituents, by a much more reliable method, namely by
filtration.
This operation must however be carried out in an essentially different
manner from that which has been hitherto employed for non-sparkling beer and
wine.
It must not be effected too rapidly and by means of light voluminous filters, as
is the case with beer and wine, as otherwise the sparkling quality and the aroma
would suffer, but the filtration must take place comparatively slowly, preferably
simultaneously with the fermentation and under pressure and corresponding counter
pressure.
By means of this process the duration of the manufacture of sparkling wines is
considerably shortened, as the operations of the clearing and the fining are done
away with, and cloudy fermenting liquids can be utilised.
The fermentation can be accelerated by the addition of good ferment or good
grape cake or must, or by the use of asbestos, pumice stone, charcoal or other
similar substances.
These latter have the property of absorbing from must and other nitrogenous
liquids, a large proportion of the nitrogen, and thus become effective breeding beds
for ferment organisms.
If therefore the said materials are left in contact with fermenting must
and the like, they absorb nitrogen and ferments, and act as powerful exciters
of fermentation.
For carrying out the process, apparatus can be employed which I will
proceed to describe with reference to the drawing accompanying my Provisional
Specification.
The wine to be treated is introduced, with or without the addition of the said
ferments, into the receiver A Fig. 1 through the pipe with the cock a.
The vessel A being filled, and any remaining air therein, as also that in the
vessel B, being driven out by means of carbonic acid, all the cocks are closed with
the exception of b.
Between the recipients A and B is a third smaller vessel D or several such, two
being shewn on the drawing, which vessels contain filters C. These are of porous
but sufficiently dense material so as to effect the purposes of the filtration in the
most. perfect possible manner.
The filters may have any desired form, such as a disc, cylinder, cone, or hollow
cylinder in which the filtration is effected from the outer side inwards.
As filtering medium may serve any neutral porous, fibrous, spongy or pulverulent
material, such as asbestos, cotton wool, pumice stone, paper pulp, burnt clay, in the
form of porous earthenware pipes &c.
The position of the filters is also optional, so that the filtration takes place either
upwards, downwards or sideways. The filtering device might also be arranged
directly in the recipient A, as indicated at Fig. 2; but a separate filtering vessel
is preferable.
At the commencement of the fermenting process the pressure rises equally in both
vessels A and B, the cocks b being open.
When it has attained a certain degree, the cocks bare closed and the cocks c₁₁₁
of the filters are opened, so that with the increasing pressure in A a continual
uniformly advancing filtration through the filters C will take place.
The resulting beverage which collects in B and can be drawn off thence directly
into bottles, is brilliantly clear, effervesces perfectly, and is very durable.
In order to accelerate the fermentation, the recipient A can be heated either
externally or by means of internal pipes or coils, while the recipient B can
be cooled in an analogous manner. By such cooling the excess of cream of tartar is
also separated, so as not to be deposited afterwards in the bottles.
This separation of the tartar can also be effected in a separate highly refrigerated
vessel through which the wine is passed before entering the vessel B,

page_text: The recipient B can also be placed at a lower level, as for instance in a cellar,
while the recipient A is placed in a higher locality.
If in this case the difference of height is sufficient, the cocks 6 can be left open,
during both the fermentation and the filtration, as in that case the pressure of the
liquid column will be sufficient for the filtration. The pressure gauges applied to
the recipients must however not indicate too great a difference of pressure.
It will be evident that the carbonic acid produced by fermentation can be in part
replaced by artificial carbonic acid pumped in; in certain cases also, the filtration
can be accelerated by means of a force pump situated between the recipient A and
the filters.
This process is applicable not only to the manufacture of champagne but also for
all other kinds of sparkling or effervescing fermented liquids.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what. I
claim is:
1. The process for preparing champagne and other beverages charged with
carbonic acid, wherein the fermenting or other liquid under treatment with or
without the addition of ferments is made to pass through one or more filters
contained either in the fermenting vessel itself or in receptacles situated between
the fermenting vessel and the receptacle from which the liquid is filled into bottles,
substantially as described.
2. In filters such as are referred to in the preceding claim, the method of
impregnating the filtering medium with nitrogenous matters and ferment fungus,
in order to make them serve as ferments in the process referred to, substantially
as described.
3. Apparatus for carrying out the process referred to in the first claim, consisting
of the combination of one or more fermenting vessels A with one or more filtering
devices CC contained either in the vessels A, or in special receptacles D D,
from which the filtered liquid passes into vessels B for discharging into bottles,
the vessel A being constructed either with or without internal heating pipes, while
the vessel B is provided, if necessary, with means for cooling, and the filtration
being, if necessary, accelerated by the use of a force pump.
Dated this 30th day of September 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.