VMW 224 Chemical Analysis of Must and Wine

1. Explain the Basic Chemical Relationships Involved in Winemaking.
2. Identify Critical Points in the Winemaking Process That Chemical Analysis Can Be Applied to Winemaking Decisions.
3. Assemble and Operate Common Laboratory Equipment Used in Commercial Wineries.
4. Perform Bench Tests Used for Measuring and Analyzing Juice and Wine Composition.
5. Demonstrate Standard Vineyard and Winery Sampling Technique.

• Chemical Analysis and Monitoring in Winemaking
  • During ripening
  • Pre-fermentation
  • Fermentation
  • Post-fermentation
  • Finishing
• The Winemakers Lab
  • Set-up and best practices
  • Supplies
  • Equipment
  • Solutions and concentrations
• Sampling Techniques
  • Vineyard
  • Winery
• Important Chemical Relationships in Wine
  • Sugars and alcohol
  • pH and TA
  • pH and SO2
  • Phenolics
  • Macromolecules
  • Colloids
  • Oxygen and SO2
  • Oxygen and alcohols
  • Volatile acidity
• Basic Bench Tests for Winemaking
  • Soluble solids
  • pH
  • TA
  • Alcohol
• SO2 Chemistry and Analytical Methods
  • Sulfite species
  • Free and total
  • Molecular
  • Ripper vs. aeration/oxidation
• Bench Tests for Wine Stability
  • Protein stability
  • Tartrate stability
• Spectrophotometric Analysis
  • Oxidative stability
  • Enzymatic analysis of malic acid
     

Laboratory Outline:

• Wine Laboratory Set-up, Equipment, Supplies, Safety, and Best Practice
• Fruit Sampling and Juice Analysis during Ripening
• Soluble Solids
  • Refractometry
  • Hydrometetry
  • Densiometer
• pH and TA
  • pH meter
  • titration with color indicator
  • titration with pH endpoint
• SO2
  • Ripper
  • Aeration/Oxidation
• Alcohol
  • Ebuliometer
  • Distillation
• Volatile Acidity
  • Cash Still
  • Sequential Analyzer
• Protein and Tartrate Stability
  • Turbidity
  • Electrical Conductivity
• Using a Spectrophotometer: Oxidative Stability and Malate
  • Absorbance, hue, and color intensity
  • Enzymatic analysis