Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~55~1~
Prior to the present invention, it has been considered
necessary in -the wine industry to concurrently ferment the
juice, pulp and skins to produce red and rose wine from -
grapes containing various pigments in and beneath the skins.
The purpose in fermenting the whole crushed grape, together
with the skins, is to permit yeast fermentation to act upon
and extract a desired color, protein and aromatic substances
from the skins as well as the essentials that are derived
from the grape bodies.
In the above described prior art process, the pigment, -~ -~
together with various es~entials, are released out of the
- grape skins as the fermentation procesæ continues and-the
alcoholic content of the fermenting mass increases. This ;
prior art fermentation process as previously mentioned, ha~e -~
i the operational disadvantages that soon after the fermenting
process is initiated, the crushed skins of the grapes rise to
the top of the liquid in the fermentation vat, and these
skins are by pressure from above and below, pressed into a
1 ~ mat or cap that i9 substantially impervious. ~his mat or cap
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impedes the escape of ¢arbon dioxide from the fermenting liquid
~ to the atmosphere, as well as limiting the free passage of
i~ heat from the fermentation vat to the ambient atmosphere.
~ In the present process the operational disadvantages
J~ inherent to forming a mat or cap on the fermenting liquid is
~,~ eliminated, and as a consequenoe, carbon-dioxide and heat may
flow freely from the fermenting liquid to the ambient
atmosphere, and as a result the fermentation process may be
carried out more rapidly and in a more uniform manner than
~- is po~ible with fermentation processes a~ they have been
¢onducted in the pa~t.
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~0554
~ he present process has the operational advantage
that less refrigeration is required during the fermentation
process to control the exothermic heat generated as the
fermentation of the grape substance proceeds.
In my process, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed
in a conventional manner as now employed in wineries, with
the grapes thereafter being directed to a dejuicer, and
then to a press to accomplish the complete separation of the
skin~ from the juice and pulp of the grapes, with the grape
body æubstance free of skins then being screened or
centrifuged to a desired consistenoy after which it is
transferred to a ferme~tation vat. Yeast is then added to
the grape substance in the Permentation vat, and fermentation
of the grape substance is initiated to transform the same
into wine.
During the fermentation of the grape substance in the
vat, exothermic heat is generated, together with carbon ~
dioxlde, both of which are free to flow to the ambient --
atmosphere. Due to the carbon dioxide and heat arising
~ 20~ during the fermentation process being dissipated to the
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ambient atmosphere, I have found it requires les~ auxiliary
refrigeration or cooling equipment during the fermentation of
the grape ~ubstance into wine.
:~ After the pres~ed, ¢olor bearing ~kins have been 1
separated from the juice and pulp, the skins are conveyed
to a ~uitable container, preferably one formed from stainless
~ steel or a metal free lined vessel, where the pressed skins
¦ ~ are treated with an aqueous mixture comprl~ing three parts of
¦ a hlgh purity, iron free, hydrochlori¢ acid and citric aoid,
with the a~ueous mixture being in suffi¢ient volume to bathe
! the pre~sed skin~.
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The aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and citric
acid should be approximately 0 1M, and the quantity should
approximate one gallon ~or each ten pounds o~ pressed skins.
~rom experience, I have found that the aqueous ~;-
acidic solution is preferably heated to between 120 to
160~. prior to the pressed skins being added thereto. -
After the skins have been added to the acidic aqueous
solution, mild agitation of the skins should be employed, -~
and the skins being subjected to the acidic solution for
a period of from two to six hoursO The length of this
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period will depend upon the nature and type of the grape
skins, the temperature of the solution, as well as the
normalcy of the latter.
Various types of equipment may be emplo~ed for
subjeoting the pressed skins to the acidic solution for
example, a finned rotating cylinder which tumbles the
skins and the ~olutio~ for the required period of time.
After the pressed skins and the acidio ~olution
have been allowed to rea¢t as above described, the ~olution
that contains color protein and the aromatic essential3
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leached from the skins i9 drained from the latter, and
transferred to a separate ¢ontainer. The colored acidie
solution i8 partially neutralized with an appropriate agent,
~ ~ suoh as ~odium carbonate~ potassium carbonate, sodium ~-~
¦~ hydroxide, or the like~ The partial neutralizing of the
solution i~ carried out in a conventional manner3 and by
vi~ual means suoh as titrating the progre~s of the
neutralizing may be observedO When all of the hydrochloric
acid has been neutralized, it will be noted that there is a
¦~ 30 sharp break in the observed neutralizing aotion, which may be
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a change in color if a titration operation is being
conducted, or rapid movement of the indicator of electrical ~,
means are employed to determine the progress of the '
neutralization.
The partially neutralized colored liquid resulting '
~rom the above described operation is now added to the ''
fermenting grape substance, prior to completion of the
fermentation thereof. From experience, I found it
preferable to add the partially neutralized colored liquid
or extract to the fermenting grape sub~tance when the
fermentation operation of the latter is approximately
sixty per cent completed, with the quantity of the colored
liquid so added being such as to impart a desired color
~, and hue to the completed wine.
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'~ ~ Due to the above described partial neutrali~ing ~',
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~, ~ operation, an extremely small amount of sodium chloride
'1 - will be generated and will remain in the colored liquid
f~ or extract that is added to the fermenting grape substance. ,,' ,~
he amount of this sodium chloride will be appro~imately , ~'
20~ two hu~dred parts per million by weight to the ~ermenting
j~ grape sub~tance, and thi3 salt does not detract from the
wine quality nor does it impede the yeast growth in the
! ~ final ~tages of fermentation. As a matter of fact? some ' ~,
~ wine maker~ have already recognized the beneficial effect
,t~l~ of salt on wine produ¢tion and add as much as six hundred
part~ per million to the fermenting liquid to achieve an ,~- '
improvea quality in wine. ~he quality of salt added due
to the partial neutralizing operation i~ substantially
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j le~s than that found in many natural ~oods~ including meats,
~30 and ¢ommon regetables. ~he citric a¢id is likewi~ef considered '~
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~ 554~
to be of no consequence, for it is in fac-t employed in the
wine making art to ameliorate the wine. Using citric acid
in the above de~cribed manner assures that the colored
liquid or extract will at all times have a pH less than 7,
and complex organic compounds in the extract that impart a
pleasing taste and aroma to the wine will be preserved.
~urther utilization may be made of the grape
- skins after the coloring and complex organic compounds
have been partially extracted therefrom~ ~he residue is
;~ lO subjected to an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution that is
preferably 0.4 ~. ~he acidic solution tends to further
break down the fibrous structure of the ~kins, with
additional coloring and complex organic compounds going into
solutionO ~he resulting acidic solution is at least
~ partially neutralized with so~ium carbonate or a like agent
`I ~ and after adding sugar it is then fermented with yeast.
~ he alcohol resulting from the fermentation is now distilled ~ ;~
! therefrom to provide a brandy base or the distilled substance ~1
; may be used to produce a epecialty wineO
~2~0~ Although the process has been described as using
hydrochloric acid, due to the hlgh degree of ionizatlon
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thereof in the dilute state, it i~ also pos~ible to use
sul~uric phosphoric aoid and the like in lieu thereo~.
In the above description sodium carbonate has been
described aJ the neutralizing agent, however, it will be
apparent that potas~ium carbonate~ ~odium hydroxide or
`~ pota~ium hydroxide or the like could be used for thi~ purpose
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-~ if de~iredO Otherwi~e a proces~ of deionization or
electroly~i~ may likewi~e be applied.
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1~554~ -
Although the invention has been described in
connection with the making of red wine, it will be
apparent that the same process may be used on the skins
of white grapes to extract fermentable material therefrom
and increase the yield of white wine.
The use and operation of the process has been ::.
described previously in detail and need not be repeated.
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