Project funded through Operation 16.01.01 for Cooperation for Innovation in the Rural Development Program of Catalonia 2014-2022.
The Catalan wine sector dedicated to the production of cava faces various technological, economic, and environmental challenges. The production of cava requires the addition of sugar for the second fermentation and the expedition liqueur. This generates a demand for sugar, usually sourced from outside the European continent, which has a significant economic and environmental impact on the wine sector. At the same time, in the Penedès region, there is an overproduction of grapes leading to significant economic losses. By processing the surplus grapes, rectified concentrated must (RCM) can be obtained. RCM is a dense, colorless, clean, physically and chemically stable liquid with a high sugar content. This product can substitute sugar in the cava production process, resulting in positive environmental and economic impacts and promoting a circular economy. Currently, the majority of Catalan wineries rely on RCM produced by companies located outside Catalonia, specifically in Castilla-La Mancha, sometimes processing the surplus must from Catalan wineries. The distance between the wineries and RCM producers requires must stabilization (sulfitation) and the transportation of must and RCM, resulting in a considerable environmental impact on the sector.
Based on the results of a previous project, obtained through collaboration between INNOVI, Eurecat, and Penedès wineries under the 'Competitive Reinforcement Initiatives - IRC2020 (ACCIÓ)' call, the potential of local RCM production in the Penedès region was identified through laboratory-scale tests to determine the best technologies for RCM production. A preliminary economic and environmental viability study was also conducted. Furthermore, this previous study highlighted the need to verify the operation of the process at a pilot scale, define parameters such as energy consumption, reagent usage, and production and quality of wastewater before constructing a real-scale, compact, and mobile plant.
The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the technical, economic, and environmental viability of a compact and mobile process for RCM production in Penedès wineries, reducing economic costs and associated carbon footprint compared to the use of sugar or externally-produced RCM. This demonstration will be achieved through the construction of a pilot plant to evaluate must rectification and concentration technologies in wineries, as well as designing a compact and transportable system with theoretical technology scaling and assessing the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of its implementation on a real scale.
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