Bottling and oxygen management
Why oxygen management matters
How can wine be protected from oxidation, from tank to bottle?
For maximum wine quality, dissolved oxygen must remain within optimal ranges: 0.2–1.0 ppm for whites, 0.5–1.2 ppm for reds. Racking, pumping over and filtration can add up to 8 ppm of O₂ per single operation. In the bottle, the atmosphere in the headspace determines the final TPO (Total Packaging Oxygen). SIAD nitrogen and argon prevent solubilisation and remove excess oxygen, from tank to filling.
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Nitrogen for stripping dissolved O₂
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Protective atmosphere in tanks with nitrogen or argon
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Bottling with TPO under control
Products and services for winery bottling
SIAD supplies food-grade nitrogen and argon in the most suitable ways for each phase, from wine handling to bottle filling, with a working method that starts from analysis of winery criticalities and continues with periodic audits to verify results over time.
Strip excess O₂ without using SO₂
With nitrogen, SIAD removes excess dissolved oxygen using an in-line stripping system during wine handling or directly in storage tanks. Quantities are limited to 0.5–1.0 vol./vol. of wine, sufficient to bring dissolved O₂ back within the target ranges for whites and reds.
Protective atmosphere in tanks with nitrogen or argon
The choice between the two gases depends on tank tightness. Nitrogen, as heavy as air, dilutes by mixing and lowers the oxygen percentage. Argon, being heavier than air, displaces it by pushing it out: in tanks with good tightness, 1 volume of argon is enough to replace 3–4 volumes of nitrogen, while in tanks with imperfect tightness it becomes the required choice.
Remove air from the bottle before and after filling
During bottling, nitrogen, in liquid or gaseous form, removes air from the bottle before filling and saturates the headspace, reducing TPO. In sparkling wine bottling lines, argon increases productivity and stabilises the process.
Gas always available with Flexigas
Flexigas is SIAD’s highly flexible service that ensures continuous availability of high-purity liquid nitrogen and argon, with constant delivery characteristics adaptable to bottling line consumption. The winery operates without interruptions, even during more intensive production runs.
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Do you want to optimise your bottling line?
Our experts analyse the criticalities of your process, from racking to filling, and size nitrogen and argon according to your wine types and line configuration.
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