Page 15 - GrapevineMarApr 2022

In The Winery
In The Winery

aggressive processes also strip the barrel of any oak
flavors and other qualities built up from prior use.
As a result, the barrel becomes neutralized and no
longer imparts flavor to the wine. Some winemak-
ers use neutral oak barrels intentionally, depending
on the winemaker’s goals. Still, continued use of
these more aggressive sanitation methods naturally
decreases the number of times a barrel can be san- What Moves Your Wine?
itized.

Bubble-tech gmbh:
High Power Ultrasound Sanitization
Retains Barrel History and Integrity

“The location of viable micro-organism cells within
any barrel environment determines their chanc-
es of survival,” said Darren Bates of Bubble-tech
gmbh. “Populations located within the arc of the
barrel between the head stave and bilge have the
greatest opportunity to survive and proliferate.
Our studies show that applying high pressure or
hot water sprays to the interior of barrels does Waukesha Positive Displacement & Centrifugal Pumps
not completely inactivate Brettanomyces cells. Gentle, Efficient, Carlsen Quality
Methods like power washing, scraping and blasting 707-431-2000 • WWW.CARLSENASSOCIATES.COM
destroy the toasted oak aroma compounds formed
and retained in the toasted layer of a barrel. When
using High Powered Ultrasound, a sonotrode gets
inserted into the barrel with a small amount of
heated water. The barrels are cleaned and disin-
fected in five to 13 minutes with no need for addi-
tional chemical rinses and using minimal energy
consumption. HPU has also shown to better retain
the organoleptic properties that are present over
other cleaning and sanitization methods.”

Bubble-tech gmbh specializes in using ultrasonic
technology in industrial processes for beverage
industries, including cleaning, sanitation, extraction
and defoaming methods. Bates has extensive expe-
rience providing industrial ultrasonic technology
and solutions for the wine industry, successfully
cleaning and sanitizing oak barrels ranging from
one through seven years of age.

“In terms of how long we can extend the life of
a barrel, on the conservative side, I would say two
years as a minimum, but realistically it could go
up to four years with an HPU cleaning frequency
of one-to-two-year intervals. The HPU sanitation

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