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WINEMAKING Flash Extraction Goes to Work Winemakers excited about effects on phenolics, flavor isolation By Laurie Daniel tent explosions—pop, pop, pop, every few seconds—get your attention. This is Flash Détente in action. The T French machine—and similar flash extrac- tion equipment developed in Italy and being used in Woodbridge, Calif.—is used to increase the extraction of color and skin tannins, while also reducing pyrazine compounds and the aromas associated with rot and mold. The latter uses proved to be especially handy during the cool, damp 2010 vintage, when mold and rot were problems in many vineyards and, in some cases, late-maturing grapes didn't have the chance to ripen properly. Flash extraction has been around for more than 10 years and used in Europe, South America, Australia and elsewhere. But the first commercial unit in the United States wasn't installed until just before the 2009 harvest, at Monterey Wine Co. That first year, Flash Détente was used on about 500 tons of grapes, MWC winemaker and general manager Eric Laumann says. He estimates that this year, 3,000 tons of grapes from all over California would undergo Flash Détente—roughly a third of the winery's production. MWC's unit can process 20 tons per hour. At first, Laumann says, winemakers were "flashing" their grapes to reduce pyrazines. "Now they're using it for ev- erything," he says. "I've never seen anything as transfor- mative as this technology," says winemak- ing consultant Barry Gnekow, who has used both the French and Italian equip- ment. The Flash Détente equipment is manu- factured by Pera, based in Florensac, in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region. 38 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 he 6,000-gallon stainless steel tank doesn't stand out much at the Monterey Wine Co., a cus- tom crush facility in King City, Calif., that can process 9,000 tons per year. But the intermit- Flash extraction has been around for more than 10 years and used in Europe, South America and Australia. But the first commercial unit in the United States wasn't installed until 2009. The process involves a combination of heating the grapes to about 180ºF and then sending them into a huge vacuum chamber, where they are cooled. The cells of the grape skins are burst from the inside—the audible pop, pop, pop— allowing for better extraction of antho- cyanins and skin tannins. Because this takes place before any alcoholic fermenta- tion, the more bitter tannins, particularly seed tannins, aren't extracted. (Because the seeds don't contain water, they don't explode.) Flash Détente, which translates roughly as "instant relaxation," also creates steam that goes into a condenser, and the condensate is loaded with pyrazines and other aromatic compounds. "Anything with a low boiling temperature will blow off," Laumann says. Because vapor has been removed, the sugar level is increased in the remaining must by about 6%. The winemaker can work with the higher Brix level, add back Highlights • Flash extraction involves heating grapes, then sending them into a vacuum cham- ber, where they explode and are cooled. • The technology is used to increase the extraction of color and skin tannins, to decrease pyrazines and remove the aromas associated with mold and rot. • Flashed red grapes can be pressed and fermented like white wine, or fermented on the skins. • Because the technology is so new in the U.S., winemakers are still figuring out the best ways to work with it and fit it into their programs.