Cryo-precipitation, what it is and what it is used for

Cryo-precipitation is a process that allows us to stabilize wines and create the conditions for them to face long journeys without altering their organoleptic characteristics and creating these ugly and annoying “crystals”. Often these journeys in fact take place in non-optimal storage conditions, in the heat and for long periods; in fact, imagine how long it takes to ship wines by sea in containers, months, and often without any insulation.

The path that Senatore Vini follows for cryo-precipitation derives from a physical evolution that exploits only and exclusively the low temperature. The alternative, alas, is to focus on a chemical method by adding wine products. Unfortunately, this technique has a widespread diffusion in our sector, as it is more convenient both from an economic point of view and in time, but it certainly does not protect the health of the consumer.

The difference is that in the first case only the temperature is used, with longer times and consequent higher costs; in fact, think that following this path, there are refrigerators operating at very low temperatures for several weeks, in fact the wine is cooled, reaching minimum temperatures, close to freezing, but which only freeze everything that is corpuscular and which is then eliminated , with the exception of the wine which instead contains alcohol and allows it not to freeze at the classic 0 °, but to resist a few more degrees … just enough to complete the stabilization operations.

In the second case, the waiting time would be significantly reduced by adding low-cost chemicals. Therefore, a limited investment from an economic point of view is enough and the wine stabilizes much more easily and with lower costs given the savings of refrigerators, but with what contraindications? Well, everything that is used as a chemical in this production phase, you will find it in the glass at the time of tasting, unlike the physical process which uses only the low temperature and therefore does not add other substances to the wines.