Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/70670
TE CHNOL OG Y 1999, they switched to equipment made by Patrick Ducournau's firm Oenodev. Wine development is monitored through sensory analysis and dissolved oxygen. Dinn said every wine also undergoes a full phenolic assay with in-house equipment. "We don't necessarily see it as a way to mimic a barrel, rather as another tool to help develop our wines as much as other winemaking practices," he said. "Barrel use would be one of those practices, but we also MOx wines that go into barrels." Dinn's winemakers can add oxygen to wine in several ways such as racking, bar- rels, transfers and the headspace of tanks. "Knowing how much and when to add, at what rate in a specific wine is part of the winemaking process that is unique to each winemaker." Hogue produces 570,000 cases of wine per year with an average bottle price of $8, according to WinesVinesDATA. Precise and efficient is usually at about 95% capacity. cro-ox equipment on the market. At first Dinn said a small stream of oxygen was pumped into a tank through a diffuser. In GWKent_WE_Sept08.qxp 7/28/08 2:56 PM Page 1 1990s, back when there wasn't much mi- A major selling point for suppliers offer- ing micro-ox systems is that they deliver an accurate and precise amount of oxygen to wine. All wine needs oxygen, and what the makers of micro-ox systems say is that they provide efficient precision as opposed to just hoping for good oxygen uptake via splash racking. Max Buiani, corporate accounts manager with Enartis Vinquiry in Wind- sor, Calif., came to the United States last summer expecting to be the last one to the MOx sales party. Instead, he said he found a good level of interest but also outdated perspectives regarding the tool. Buiani said the negative perception of MOx is based on outdated machines that could have led to some bad experiences for winemakers. He added that it can be a challenge to overcome the ingrained philosophy of strict reductive winemaking standards. "Can you imagine for genera- tions everybody has been trying to keep oxygen away from wine, and now we say no, wine needs the oxygen?" The Enartis MOx system delivers oxygen based on weight and can be pro- grammed for a macro delivery or micro delivery. Other systems may require the user to calculate proper dosing amounts before programming the MOx machine. "When you do this it's easy to make mis- takes," Buiani said. "What we did is put the computer in the machine." Winemakers need only add the volume of the tank and the amount of oxygen at Wine Tanks, Presses, Grape Crushers, Pumps, Valves, Fittings and more! Guaranteed best quality and value with quick delivery from stock. www.gwkent.com www.wineryparts.com 1.800.333.4288 Wines & Vines JULY 2012 33