How racking red wines can put a stop to Brettanomyces

homas Beauvillain is on a mission to convince winemakers that they need to rack their red wines using the technique he has developed. “Racking for red wines simply isn’t done, not in France or anywhere around the world”, says the independent consultant winemaker. For several years, Beauvillain has been looking for a racking technique that would remove the “aromatic noise” he could sense in red wines but not in whites or rosés which are not fermented on the skins. He ultimately achieved his goal by combining two machines – a roller press and a sorter placed above the tanks.

The equipment “for a winery farming between 10 and 30 hectares of vines costs around 50,000 euros”, says the concept’s designer who has filed a patent through his company BIOMco in nine wine producing countries (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand). The technique is particularly suited to protecting wines from Brettanomyces. “Up until now, we had suspicions – now we’re sure”, claims Beauvillain. “I have established a connection between the deposit from the must and Brettanomyces, which are a global plague for red wines. The yeast lives in the fermented deposit”.

Beauvillain also claims that his machines not only combat Brettanomyces – they also simplify work in the winery and thus generate savings. “Winemaking is easier because you don’t need to punch the cap or pump over as much – after you remove the deposit from the must, the cap that forms over the juice is less dense”. Also, “with my technique, there is no press wine. All the juice runs off – there is only free-run wine. That saves time, labour and tank space”.