Improve color extraction, flash away Pyrazine and streamline winemaking with Thermoflash.

The Della Toffola Thermoflash system offers a unique approach to maximizing the potential of fruit of any quality. The proprietary system can improve color extraction, reduce unripe flavor characteristics and deal with low-brix musts resulting from rain or vineyard disease.

The Thermoflash vinification system heats must to 80°C and then cools the must instantaneously in a vacuum chamber. The rapid cooling and vacuum causes the cell walls within the berry skins to rupture, maximizing phenolic extraction. Volatile compounds in the fruit also flash, including vegetal character producing pyrazines and any aerosol pollutants that have made their way into the fruit from the vineyard. The thermal treatment and subsequent cooling also denatures damaging enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase and laccase.

The grape volatiles are condensed in an overhead cooling system and the "flash water" is collected. Depending on the quality of the fruit, the volatile-containing flash water can be blended back into the fruit or discarded if necessary.

The must undergoing Thermoflash is pressed immediately. The phenolic extraction for the fruit is complete and a color-laden juice is extracted for immediate fermentation. The juice can be treated as a white wine without cap management and can be fermented at any temperature to meet the winemaker's needs. There is no need to ferment hot to gain color and tannin.

Winesecrets offers a mobile Thermoflash unit for trials at your winery. The unit processes 1.5 tons per hour and is ideal for small lots or side-by-side trials with existing red production protocol.