prefermentation heat treatment

Prefermentation heat treatment involves rapidly heating red musts at moderate temperatures without excessive oxidation. This process is particularly beneficial for red sweet wines, which have short fermentation periods on the skins. It is also useful for grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that produces enzymes causing browning. This treatment helps extract color and deactivate these enzymes.1

Pasteurization, a related heat-treatment process, destroys pathogenic microorganisms in foods and beverages. It was developed by Louis Pasteur in the 1860s to prevent spoilage in wine and beer by heating them to about 57°C (135°F) for a few minutes. For milk, pasteurization typically involves heating to 63°C (145°F) for 30 minutes or 72°C (162°F) for 15 seconds to destroy harmful bacteria and spoilage microorganisms. Thermal processing, in general, combines temperature and time to eliminate microorganisms from food products.234