ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY: A NEW TOOL FOR LOW-INPUT RED WINEMAKING

The present work resumes the pluriannual researches carried out at laboratory and pilot-scale, aimed to study the effect of ultrasound during different steps of the red winemaking process, using respectively: a static laboratory sonifier and a pilot plant at continuous mode. The effect of the main ultrasound process parameters was studied at laboratory scale, on anthocyanins, tannins, and color stability indices of two young red wines. A number of technological experiments at pilot-scale level were carried out on different grape cultivars from different wineries and producing areas, to study properly the potential effectiveness of ultrasound on the winemaking process. Potential effects of ultrasound on some chemical reactions, involved during wine aging, have been considered. Ultrasound can be considered as a sustainable technology that can be applied on the maceration step, to increase the extraction of grape compounds and reducing times, with several economic and management advantages for wineries. The sonication treatments should be opportunely modulated considering several factors, such as grape variety and oenological aims. Ultrasound could be an alternative technology to be applied in several steps of winemaking processes, from maceration to red wine aging.