II.3.3.3 Tartrate stabilisation by treatment with cation exchangers

Definition :

Operation consisting of passing the wine through a column of polymerised resin that reacts as an insoluble polyelectrolyte whose cations are able to be exchanged with cations of the surrounding medium.

 

Objective :

To obtain a tartrate-stable wine:

• With respect to potassium hydrogen tartrate
• With respect to calcium tartrate (and other salts of calcium).

 

Prescriptions :

 

a)        The treatment must be limited to the elimination of excess cations.

• The wine may be initially cold treated.
• Only the minimum fraction of a wine necessary for obtaining stability will be treated with cation exchangers.

b)       The treatment will be performed using cation exchange resins regenerated in the acid cycle.

c)        The whole process will be placed under the responsibility of a oenologist or specialist technician.

d)       The resins shall comply with the prescriptions of the International Oenological Codex and shall not lead to excessive modifications of the physico-chemical composition and sensory characteristics of the wine.

 

Recommendation of OIV

 

Admitted