RESOLUTION OIV-OENO 580-2017

TREATMENT WITH POTASSIUM CARBONATE IN MUSTS

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

CONSIDERING article 2, paragraph 2 b) ii of the Agreement establishing the International Organization of Vine and Wine, dated 3rd April 2001,

CONSIDERING the works of the group of experts “Technology”,

CONSIDERING the technological properties of potassium carbonate for the de-acidification of musts

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that potassium carbonate, used in the described conditions, is considered as processing aid

DECIDE, following a proposal of the Commission II “Oenology”, to update in part II, chapter 2 “musts”, the sheet concerning the chemical de-acidification of must, of the OIV international code of oenological practices with the “treatment with potassium carbonate”

Definition:

Decrease of the acidity and the actual acidity (increase of the pH) by addition of neutral potassium tartrate, potassium hydrogen carbonate, potassium carbonate or calcium carbonate containing possibly small quantities of the calcium double salt of L(+) tartaric and L(-) malic acids.

Objectives:

a)                      See 2.1.3.2

b)                      For de-acidification of must.

Prescriptions:

a)                      The wine produced from a de-acidified must should contain at least 1 g/l tartaric acid for wine quality reasons;

b)                      The process of the formation of the double salt (neutral calcium salts of tartaric and malic acids) should be applied in the case of musts very rich in malic acid for which precipitation of the tartaric acid alone does not provide a satisfactory reduction of the titratable acidity;

c)                       The aim of chemical de-acidification shall not be to conceal fraud;

d)                      Chemical de-acidification and chemical acidification are mutually exclusive;

e)                      The products added shall comply with the prescriptions of the International Oenological Codex.

Recommendation of OIV:

Accepted.