WHAT IS CRACKING?
Until now, heat treatments were reserved for red harvests. In the past years, trials have been carried out with the
aim of producing white wines treated in the same way. This technique is called ‘cracking’. In this case, white must
is heat treated after pressing: the grapes are first pressed, and the juice is then heated to 65-85 °C using the equipment traditionally used for red harvests. The must is stored at this temperature for several hours (2 to 20 hours depending on circumstances).
Although quite recent, the technique has already undergone preliminary studies that show that heat treatment of white
musts has very beneficial effects on the quality of wines.
- Obtains protein stability (3) (dependent on temperature and grape variety)
- Increases aromatic intensity, fruitiness and olfactory complexity (1, 2, 3)
- Improves volume/acidity balance (3)
- Significantly decreases geosmin content in wines (1)
- Enhances the quality of wines from botrytised harvests (1, 3)
THE OPTIMISATION OF A PHYSICAL PROCESS
Cracking can be carried out intelligently by using oenological products both to reinforce the positive effects of the technique and to diminish its negative effects (increases yellow colour (3), astringency and bitterness (1, 2)). Discover our solutions for the vinification of wines produced using the cracking technique
Bibliography:
(1)GUERIN L. , 2013, Apports de la thermovinification sur l’expression aromatique des vins blancs, Communication EUROVITI 2013
(2)SERRANO E. et al., 2013, Utilisation de la technique du chauffage des mouts en vue de la production de vins blancs aromatiques et légers, http://www. vignevin-sudouest.com, 2013
(3)PIC L. et al., 2012, Stabulation à chaud des jus blancs et rosés : une nouvelle pratique prometteuse, RFO, n°253
