New Process for Producing Wine by previously Sterilizing the Must of Grapes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1899-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New Process for Producing Wine by previously Sterilizing the Must
of Grapes.
I, EDUARDO PALOMAR Y MENDIVIL, Manufacturing Engineer, of Saragossa, in
the Kingdom of Spain, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
In the production of wine, as carried on at present the manufacturer, who
purchases the grapes for conversion into wine, allows the wine to ferment spon-
taneously, in the same way as the landed proprietor, who makes wine from the
grapes from his own vineyards.
The two principal elements in fermentation are the must and the yeast, and,
as the nature of the former varies considerably in every variety of vine, in every
country, and, further, in every vintage, as moreover, the yeast, or wine producing
element, is not always the same, and is far more heterogeneous than has been
supposed hitherto, the result is that if either one of these, factors or both, at the
same time, be varied, there will necessarily be a variation of the wing produced.
With the processes of vinous fermentation employed at the present time, it
is impossible. to supply the markets with products of regular and uniform quality,
for the delivery of which contracts can be made extending over a long period,
an advantage which is to be found in connection with a number of other articles
of manufacture, such as metals, manures, drugs, etc., it follows that the most
capable viticulturists, in spite of the greatest care on their part, are not able to
precisely determine what the result of the vintage will be, as it may happen that,
whilst the grapes are of good quality, the fermentation may be unsatisfactory or
vice versa.
Finally, in storing the wine, there is considerable danger from frost, or other
causes which may be due to want of care or attention.
Generally speaking, these mishaps occur, because, as previously stated, the two
agents in the vinous fermentation, the must and the yeast being very hetero-
geneous in their nature, the difference between them leads to considerable
variation in the quality of the wine, which prevents the making of contracts for
a long period, it being impossible to decide in advance as to the quality of the
product or the time during which it will remain good.
With the object of getting rid of these serious disadvantages, I have accord-
ingly invented the rational process of vinous fermentation, which forms the object
of the present application..
This process consists of two stages:---
1. Sterilising the must by physical means, without altering its chemical com-
position and nature, for example, by evaporating the must in vacuo at a tempera-
ture not exceeding 65° C. and restoring the moisture lost in the operation so as
to obviate the evils arising from a complicated series of musts, and the fermenta-
tions, and which are the causes of one or more sudden changes frequently under-
gone by wine.
2. Treating the sterilised must with yeast selected from amongst those already

page_text: existing, and mixed with other inferior kinds of yeast possessing but little fer-
menting power and producing wines which are thick, not easily clarified, too
tart, too sweet, bitter, sour, etc., the yeast thus selected being suited to the nature
of the must and to the taste of the market for which the wine is intended.
In carrying out the process described the must is sterilised by means of con-
centrating apparatus like those employed in the manufacture of beetroot sugar;
or again, by heating the must quickly during one minute at a temperature not
exceeding 65° by means of known apparatus such as those employed for sterilising
wine, but not applied to the sterilising of must. When the sterilised must has
been concentrated a quantity of water is added to it, equal to that lost in evapora-
tion, and the must put into a cask or receptacle holding about 12 hectolitres, the
communication with the external air being shut off by means of a cotton or
wadding filter. A kilogram, approximately, of yeast is poured in and 10 hextolitres
of must added; fermentation takes place and the succeeding operations are effected
in the ordinary manner.
The quantity of yeast that must be added cannot be precisely fixed, as it will
vary with the kind of yeast employed, and the richness in sugar and total quantity
of acid of the must employed.
The yeast is selected from an assortment of pure yeasts, obtained from the lees
of the wines of the country. A careful examination is made of these yeasts,
their alcoholising power and their power of resisting external infection and a
selection is made therefrom of those which possess an alcoholising power equivalent
to the quantity of sugar contained in the must to which this yeast, which is termed
selected, by those who engage in the study of fermentation in general, has to be
added.
By means of this process, the vinous fermentation is controlled absolutely, none
of its stages are left to chance, and the wines produced thereby may form the
object of large commercial speculations; the quality of the wine can, in fact,
be guaranteed in advance, as well as the power of the wine to preserve its con-
dition for a given time or during a long journey.
This result is obviously of the greatest importance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The new process for producing wine, as hereinbefore described, the distinguish-
ing feature being the previous sterilising of the must of grapes, by purely
physical means, without in any way altering its chemical composition, for example,
by evaporating the must in vacuo at a temperature not exceeding 65 degrees
Centigrade, restoring the moisture lost in this operation, and treating the must
with yeast specially selected and possessing qualities suited to the nature of the
must and the taste of the consumer.
Dated this 7th day of June 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.