Winemaking is a sensitive and sophisticated process that requires precise temperature control. Various wines require unique process temperatures to preserve taste, color, and aroma.

The Effect of Temperature Control in Winemaking

For consistency in quality over thousands of batches, today’s wines are prepared under carefully controlled conditions. One the most essential parameters in winemaking is the temperature inside the fermentation vessel.

As a rule of thumb, the higher the fermentation temperature, the faster the yeast converts into alcohol and other flavorful by-products. However, to produce the best-quality wine, it’s best not to rush things. Glycol chillers for wineries can efficiently control process temperatures for optimal results.

Producing wines over or below the recommended fermentation temperatures can drastically impact the quality of the final products. Moreover, wine fermentation is an exothermic process – it generates heat. This implies that even with the appropriate room temperature, the process can still exceed the ideal temperature range. Thus, adequate temperature control must be ensured in winemaking vessels at all times.

Ideal Fermentation Temperatures for Wines

For the best color and tannin extraction, wine fermentation must be held within precise temperatures. For white wines, 45 - 60°F (7 - 16°C) is ideal to preserve the fruity aroma and taste while excellent red wines are produced within 70 - 85°F (20 - 30°C).

What Are Winery Chillers?

Like brewery chillers, industrial winery chillers are low-temperature chillers suited for mid to low-temperature operation (between 40°F and 20°F). The most common types for wineries are known as glycol chillers. Propylene glycol is an anti-freeze agent capable of chilling products to very low temperatures.

The following are some benefits of utilizing a wine glycol chiller in your winemaking:

• Glycol chillers can cool your wines to sub-zero temperatures without freezing the insides of the winemaking vessel.
• Using a closed-loop glycol/water mix rather than city water for cooling helps prevent corrosion and clogging up of your tubing.
• Glycol can provide additional lubrication for your chiller pumps.
• Glycol chillers have greater cooling efficiencies than water-only chillers.
• Portable glycol chiller designs are available to suit space-constrained applications.

How Do Winery Chillers Work?

Winery glycol chillers consist of a closed-loop tubing attached to the heat exchanger of a winemaking vessel. Glycol or a mixture of water and glycol (some wineries use a water/glycol ratio of 67% to 33%) flows through the circuit and cools the vessel by extracting heat from the heat exchanger.