Patent Description:
As is known, during the classic red winemaking process, after the destemming and pressing steps, the pomace, i.e. the skins and grape seeds, to transmit some of their colouring and aromatic substances, are left to macerate and ferment with the must, for a longer or shorter time depending on the cases and the results to be obtained. Fermentation takes place in vats, that is medium-large wine vessels, also called fermenters, which normally according to the most recent technologies are made of steel metal sheet optionally coated with resins, or stainless steel, provided with gaps to let a heating or cooling fluid circulate, with systems of doors, valves and pumps also for the execution of the so-called "pumping over", that is pumping and lifting the must from the bottom of the vat, to reinsert it into the upper part.

Precisely by virtue of the special operations for which it is intended, the fermenter has precisely characteristics that normally make it dedicated only to the fermentation step, and hinder or prevent the use thereof as a different cellar container, for example and in particular the flat bottom. From this derives a problem of occupation of the cellar spaces, since it is necessary to have many different "single-function" containers, perhaps partly unused, to respond from time to time to the various needs.

Beyond this, the Applicant has realized that fermentation in the known vessels intended for this purpose, such as the vessels disclosed by patent publications <CIT> and <CIT> with a perforated fermentation basket or a screen housed in a cylindrical tank, still presents some criticalities, from the point of view of the efficacy of the fermentation process, which if resolved would lead to an appreciable qualitative improvement, in oenological terms, of the result of the process itself.

The present invention therefore stems at the same time from the need to improve the logistics of the cellar and from having intuited some criticalities of the fermentation step in the known fermenters, criticalities hitherto hidden and/or not well put into focus in their impact on the quality of the oenological result.

Both of these aspects are addressed by the fermentation apparatus for winemaking according to the present invention, which is defined by the first of the appended claims. Preferred embodiments of the apparatus of the invention are the subject-matter of the dependent claims from <NUM> to <NUM>. The invention also relates to a fermentation process according to the appended claim <NUM>.

The characteristics and the advantages of the fermentation apparatus and process for winemaking according to the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, made by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:.

With reference to said figures, the fermentation apparatus for winemaking according to the invention comprises a wine vessel (preferably a barrel) <NUM> having a general structure associable to the known cellar vessels, net of the peculiarities that will be discussed below. The vessel <NUM> will therefore be a cylindrical (or prismatic) drum rising from a ground support base, with vertical axis X. Typically, the vessel is made of stainless steel, and is, or can be, equipped with any device (doors, circuitry, valves, taps, thermal control devices such as air conditioning pockets, etc.) already in use in the sector and well known to the expert in the field.

The vessel <NUM> defines internally, starting from a bottom <NUM> and with a side wall <NUM>, a liquid containing volume <NUM> (specifically, grape must), accessible from above through a top opening <NUM> closed by a removable roof <NUM>, with sealing closure made according to systems known in the sector.

According to the main aspect of the invention, there is then provided a basket <NUM> for containing destemmed grapes, the basket <NUM> being at least partially made of a wall material pervious to liquid and substantially impervious to solid materials and being configured to be removably arranged in a position of complete insertion into the volume of the vessel <NUM>, the basket defining a containing compartment <NUM> of the destemmed grapes that excludes at least one core region <NUM> which is adapted to be, with the basket in the position of insertion, open on the inner volume <NUM> of the vessel <NUM> and in liquid-only communication with the containing compartment <NUM> of the destemmed grapes.

In the illustrated embodiment, this solution is specifically configured according to a preferred construction that provides a basket <NUM> that is in turn cylindrical drum-like (but of course alternatively also prismatic) of axis X' and annular base materialized by a bottom <NUM> evolving around a central hole 21a. From the edges, inside and outside of the bottom <NUM> an inner side wall <NUM> and an outer side wall <NUM> rise, respectively, which are made of the aforesaid material that serves as a barrier to the solid component but allows the exchange of liquid, typically a mesh or a slotted sheet of metal or other still compatible material, the whole supported by a cage framework <NUM>. The finesse of the mesh to be adopted takes into account the opposite needs, on the one hand that of allowing the flow of the must, on the other that of not letting the grape seeds or even the skins pass through, or also of not letting the aforesaid grape seeds get stuck in the mesh, making cleaning difficult. With elongated slots of dimensions of about <NUM> (elongation) x <NUM> (width), for example, an excellent compromise can be for example and in particular achieved, but obviously variations with respect to these indicative measures will be possible.

In the radial space between the inner side wall <NUM> and the outer wall <NUM>, there is therefore delimited the containing compartment <NUM> of the destemmed grapes, while the inner side wall <NUM> evolves around a central core region <NUM> rising along the axis X' and that through the hole 21a of the bottom <NUM> is completely open towards the outside of the compartment <NUM> and therefore of the basket <NUM>.

The body of the basket <NUM> as defined above defines at the top, i.e. on the part axially opposite to the bottom <NUM>, an opening <NUM> for loading the destemmed grapes and is advantageously completed by a cap <NUM> which made in the same structure as the body can be reversibly fixed to it to intercept the opening <NUM>. The cap <NUM> can be removable like in the example, or be connected to the body in movable opening or closing relationship (with door or equivalents). In general, obviously, it can be talked about at least one shutting cap of the at least one loading opening of the basket where the latter assumes geometrically and structurally different conformations from that of the still preferred example illustrated.

Returning to the bottom <NUM>, this in turn advantageously has an openable configuration to allow rapid and easy emptying/discharging, for example being made like in the embodiment illustrated in two halves 21b, 21c that are articulated in a foldable manner at respective hinge points in diametrically opposite areas of the edge from which the outer wall <NUM> rises. Obviously, other similar solutions (reversibly fixed and removable bottom, sliding solutions, etc.) may be equivalently provided for.

The basket <NUM> is inserted into the vessel <NUM>, again with reference to the example illustrated, through the top opening <NUM> after removal of the roof <NUM>, in a coaxial arrangement (coincidence of the axis X' of the basket with the axis X of the vessel), until the bottom <NUM>, optionally provided with feet 21b, is brought to rest on the bottom <NUM> of the vessel. In this position of complete insertion, the outer wall <NUM> of the basket is close to the side wall <NUM> of the vessel <NUM>, at a distance that is preferably between <NUM> and <NUM>. It should be specified that the drawings attached herein are to be understood as schematic and conceptual, therefore not necessarily realistic with regard to the dimensional scale, the relative dimensions between the basket and the vessel may also advantageously be such as to define a volumetric ratio between <NUM>% and <NUM>%. However, this ratio may vary depending on the type of vine variety being processed and how much must it tends to release. In this sense, interchangeable baskets of different dimensions may also be provided to equip the same vessel.

The apparatus according to the present invention is thus operationally usable as follows. The step in which the apparatus intervenes is the fermentation step, whether we are talking about a real and traditional red winemaking, or more generally when reference is made to a fermentation that at least for a certain time takes place in contact with the solid part of the destemmed grapes, which can also intervene in the context of winemaking for white wines.

This fermentation step carried out with the apparatus therefore provides for introducing the basket <NUM> into the vessel <NUM>, and carrying out the loading of destemmed grapes (thereby obviously meaning destemmed grapes already pressed, that is and/or in general with liquid component already extracted) in the compartment <NUM> of the basket. Following a filling control of the vessel by the must, a condition is reached such as to make the immersion of the basket, and therefore of the solid part of the destemmed grapes, in the must complete. It is in this condition that fermentation is carried out for the desired time, a fermentation which thanks to the physical separation between the solid part and the liquid part operated by the containing action of the basket <NUM>, but with constant exchange of liquid and consequent phenomenon of infusion of the solid part in the must, made pervasive and operating on a very wide exchange surface thanks to the presence of the must in the region <NUM>, to penetrate the heart of the solid mass, provides absolutely unprecedented results in terms of the quality of the oenological result and possibility of orienting/directing the process towards different results depending on the needs or taste. Obviously, nothing prohibits superimposing already known fermentation control techniques (pumping over, thermal control) on this infusion phenomenon, indeed, this superimposition will be a source of further possibilities and advantages, since the possibility of affecting in a controlled way all the solid mass contained in the basket will synergistically increase and enhance the possibilities offered by these techniques.

For a more detailed description and more adherent to a possible mode of concrete use, please refer specifically to <FIG> shows the loading of the destemmed grapes D into the basket <NUM>, open above, with simultaneous partial flooding of the vessel itself by the liquid component (must) of the destemmed grapes through the pervious walls of the basket, the whole until substantially filling the vessel. At this point a fraction of the must is extracted from the vessel with concomitant lowering of the level of the destemmed grapes in the compartment <NUM> of the basket <NUM>. Further destemmed grapes are then loaded into the compartment of the basket until the basket is substantially filled.

Finally, the basket is closed with its own cap <NUM> and the previously extracted fraction of must, or at least part of said fraction, is then returned to the vessel <NUM> until the same is again filled and the basket <NUM>, with the destemmed grapes D contained therein, is completely immersed by the must. This condition is depicted by <FIG> in which the dark arrows schematically highlight the upward movements of the must around and within the solid mass.

At the end of the desired fermentation time, the basket is extracted (<FIG>) and the spent pomace V discharged outside the basket after opening the bottom <NUM>. The fermented must is then extracted from the vessel and destined for the following steps according to known winemaking practices and techniques.

In addition to what has already been pointed out about the possibilities offered by the invention in terms of the oenological result, it is worth noting another aspect of considerable significance of the invention, namely that due to the containing action exerted by the basket, the vessel <NUM> can neglect the particular limitations to which the known fermenters are subject, starting from the need for a flat bottom. The vessel <NUM> according to an embodiment of the invention can therefore for example have, and usually preferably will have, a conical bottom, this being already a feature that makes it suitable to be used as a different cellar container replacing the traditional conical bottom containers for settling. Thanks to the removable roof, a float can be inserted and a common vessel transformed into a so-called always-full vessel.

In summary, the vessel according to the invention can at the same time replace at least the following types of known containers, of a dedicated type: fermenters, always-filled barrels, containers with a conical bottom for storage. In this way, the possibility of flexibly managing the needs and the spaces of the cellar will increase, with also the achievement of consequent savings. In fact, thanks to the multifunctionality of the vessel, it will be possible to have several vessels or barrels in the same cellar space that perform several functions or, conversely, reduce the spaces because the same barrels can be used flexibly to cover different needs.

The roof of the vessel can also be designed to serve as an integrated walkway, in order to reduce the overall dimensions of stairs and walkways and pillars that must be laid on the ground and that in any case are subject to accumulation of dirt.

The wine vessel and the basket may also be provided with guiding means apt to mutually cooperate, to guide and facilitate the insertion of the basket into the vessel and refer their position to each other. Such guiding means may for example comprise one or more mutually coupled guiding tracks extending respectively on the inside of the side wall of the vessel or and on the outside of the outer wall of the basket, orthogonally to their respective bottoms.

Further advantageous features of the invention may comprise the following:.

Claim 1:
Fermentation apparatus for winemaking comprising: a winemaking vessel (<NUM>) with a bottom (<NUM>) of the vessel, a polygonal or circular side wall (<NUM>) rising from the bottom (<NUM>), surrounding a containing volume (<NUM>), and a top opening (<NUM>) shut by a removable roof (<NUM>); and a basket (<NUM>) for containing destemmed grapes, said basket (<NUM>) being at least partially made of a wall material pervious to liquid and substantially impervious to solid materials and being capable of being removably arranged in a position of complete insertion into said wine vessel (<NUM>), said basket defining a containing compartment (<NUM>) of the destemmed grapes evolving around at least one core region (<NUM>), said core region (<NUM>) being open on said containing volume (<NUM>) of the vessel (<NUM>) when the basket (<NUM>) is in said position of insertion into the vessel (<NUM>), said at least one core region (<NUM>) being in liquid-only communication, through said wall material, with said containing compartment (<NUM>) of the destemmed grapes.