Winemakers get green light on UV light

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Credit: Salvatore Vuono

This paves the way for SA's winemakers to replace traditional wine filtration systems with photopurification technology, resulting in less harmful chemical intervention, decreasing the need to add sulphur, and helping to underpin winemakers 'organic' marketing claims.

SurePure marketing executive, Steve Miller says that this new amendment is great news for the wine industry in South Africa and great news for the company, which holds the patent for photopurification, a system that cleans liquids with ultra violet light and reportedly the only commercial ultraviolet system in the world capable of treating turbid liquids.

"The new law removes any doubt that this technology may be safely and legally used by the wine industry, and removes the last remaining barrier to our commercial exploitation of the technology for viniculture," he adds.

New method can replace others

He explains that the approved method, which uses light energy to purify wine, differs from the traditional filtration methods, in that it replaces or can act as an adjunct to many other common processes.

"It can replace sterile filtration which strips colour and flavour from wine and can add significantly to wine loss. Photopurification also allows for less chemical intervention, either with sulphur or other more harmful chemicals such as Velcorin."

He points out that using ultra violet light energy to purify wine also reduces or replaces sulphur or chemicals, which has a positive impact on the environment and on consumer's well-being. "Focusing on reducing sulphur content also serves to ensure impeccable cellar and vineyard practice, forcing a more sustainable and less environmentally invasive approach to wine-making in totality. This includes the choice and use of pesticides, yeast strains and cleaning practices in-cellar, all of which benefit the environment and contribute to more sustainable practice."

Keeping SA at the forefront of global wine technology

He says that he sees more and more vineyards buying into the technology because of the amendment. "L'Ormarins already has our technology and we have a long list of estates that have trialled our technology, many of which have been waiting for this legal impediment to disappear."

He believes that the new law is also testament to the forward-thinking and proactive approach from industry leaders and legislators and helps keep SA at the forefront of wine technology in the world.

Although the technology was developed and embraced first in South Africa, Miller says that the success here has led to sales of the technology in Italy and this legal breakthrough has resulted in the request for trials in Australia, Chile and the USA, which the company is currently organising.

"SA and Europe enjoy the SA/EU wine agreement, which mandates reciprocity of technology, therefore the legalisation of the technology in SA also paves the way to short-term ratification by the EU, which is massively exciting for the company and the SA wine industry."

He adds that in those countries and estates where some wines are still pasteurised, photopurification is an obvious replacement technology. "Our technology is already being used by other industries for photopurification of sugar syrups and fruit juices and we see great potential for our technology in the wine industry," he concludes.

Go to www.surepure.net for more information.