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STARS Electrodialysis
Vintech Pacific’s mobile STARS (Selective Tartrate Removal System) technology can be used to very efficiently and effectively render wines tartrate stable, on-demand.
The process, jointly developed by INRA, the French National Agronomic Research Institute, and Eurodia Industrie is a form of electrodialysis. Use of this technology is recognised by the International Wine Office (OIV) as “good practice” and has been approved for commercial use by the European Union for all types of wines, including AOC wines, as well as in the USA and other countries.
To greater care for the environment, Vintech Pacific uses Harborlite, an expanded perlite product as a filtration medium, rather than traditional Diatomaceous Earth.
STARS works by moving micro-layers of wine between two membranes which are selectively permeable, one to tartrate species, and the other to potassium and calcium.
A water-based conductant flows past the other side of each membrane and a weak electrical field attracts the tartrate salts moving them through the membranes. As the salts cross the membranes, they are carried off by the conductant solution, which is discarded. Wines are ready for bottling immediately after stabilisation.
The STARS process is …
- RAPID: A one-pass, in-line process that may be used in conjunction with bottling.
- EFFICIENT: Energy costs are one fifth to one sixth of those required for refrigeration. No filtration additives or seeding materials are required.
- ACCURATE: Analysis determines the treatment specific to the level of tartrates in the wine to be stabilized. The process is specific to tartrates and does not remove other molecules that precipitate during cold stabilisation.
- RELIABLE: Stabilizes both for potassium and calcium tartrates. The treated wine is always completely stable.
- VERSATILE: Can be used for pH adjustments in reds to lower pH and increase colour, brightening the wines and the palate.
- CORRECTIVE: Where sulphur levels are very high, STARS can reduce total sulphur to manageable levels. Chloride (as sodium salt or chloride) can also be removed.