Microwaving your wine to kill brett

WINE TALK
41

This sounds like a really, really bad idea.

42

Wineries use a lot of different things to control issues that aren’t listed on the wine label. I’ve never seen lysozyme listed on a bottle but it’s used a lot. Just because someone uses something does not mean they are necessarily proud of it. They did what they needed to to ensure the final product was correct.

43

I dont specifically mean on the labels thats just something less than a dozen producers (including me) choose to list much of anything above contains sulfites or 1X.X% alcohol by volume.

Velcorin is one of the least disclosed products in the wine business, be it on websites, forums, in person, etc. Its something very few who use will admit to in any setting, nothing like what yeast, or if they filter, lysozyme, nutrients, enzymes, etc.

1 Like
44

Maybe because it’s not always used. It just in certain instances. I mean I can see a guy with only two barrels of something not wanting to put it through sterile filtration. I would imagine for the most part that’s where you’ll see it used.

45

Never heard of it for this kind of use. Its just not that easy to use as it requires a dosing machine which is big money for someone not using it often. Mobile providers are available but just like RO(VA/ETOH/Smoke) removal there are pretty big minimums which is why its so prevalent at bottling time. However filtration and so2 on the wine and steam/ozone on the barrels would be much more common on a small lot IME/IMO.

My information may be skewed by the couple bottling lines folks I know ran. They are no longer in the biz of bottling so more free to talk as its not current clients they have commented on. They mostly had their experiences in the north coast with unfiltered Pinot Noir. Most standard of all wine is of course .45 serile filtration and elevated so2 across reds and whites with or without issues.

46

Anyone’s tried this method yet? Seems pretty low cost and risk-free if it works.

47

Ok, plz disregard! Found the discussion/answers in other threads searching for " polyethylene "!

48

I think it can make a marginal difference, but it doesn’t remove all the taint and sometimes it even seems to come back again.

49

Just going back to this post to add one more thing -

The concept that something is ‘not mentioned’ because it’s just sparingly used is an interesting concept, and one that I hear all of time in the industry. Example - public statement is ‘we don’t filter’ . . . yet we DO if there are 'issues. Wouldn’t it be better to not have a ‘public statement’ on your website or in discussions then?

Discuss amongst yourselves . . . [snort.gif]

50

Explaining to the ER doc how you got all of those 2nd degree burns on your face, arms, chest and legs as she is pulling shards of glass out of your eyeballs.

51

I’ ve no idea if killing the wine also kills the brett …
but may be worth a try …
[whistle.gif]

52

I’ve never tried it.

It’s odd that he doesn’t mention that, as I recall, stretch film is different chemically and doesn’t work as well as the old-fashioned plastic film.

Also, it seems that Saran Wrap was altered after this method was first mentioned as a solution to TCA in wine.

Plastic wrap is commonly made out of PVC (Polyvinylidene Chloride). In recent years other PVC alternatives have become more popular. The most popular option in recent years is LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) because it is considered to be safer for the body. The problem with LDPE plastic wrap is it does not provide the amount of cling that PVC plastic wrap does. In 2004 the “Saran” brand changed to using LDPE due to environmental concerns with the chloride associated with PVC plastic wrap. – > Plastic Wrap 101

I have not idea if this alters the effectiveness.

53

We finished discussing it 5 years ago when the thread died.