Alcohol Reduction by Physical Methods

Abstract

Alcohol reduction of wine has gained significance worldwide. There are several technologies available to reduce the alcohol content in a targeted way. This chapter explains the principles of alcohol reduction by physical methods. Different membrane processes such as osmotic distillation and the two-step dealcoholization process of reverse osmosis combined with osmotic distillation are compared with distillation processes such as vacuum rectification and spinning cone column. An alternative approach the membrane coupling of ultraand nanofiltration is described as well. All those technologies appear more or less suitable to reduce the alcohol content in a targeted way. Nevertheless improper handling can cause severe quality losses for the wine. Therefore, enologists should have a thorough understanding of the technologies to avoid negative impact on wine quality through the treatment.