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- Mixing and Safety Considerations for NOLO Wine Production
Mixing and Safety Considerations for NOLO Wine Production
No and low alcohol wine is becoming an increasingly important category for commercial wineries. But producing it involves more than simply removing alcohol from a finished wine.
Alcohol contributes to the stability of traditional wine. Once ethanol levels are significantly reduced, producers need to pay closer attention to microbial control, hygiene and the way ingredients are blended back into the product. Dealcoholisation can also leave wineries with a concentrated alcohol stream that needs to be stored and handled appropriately.
For wineries moving into NOLO production, this puts mixing equipment firmly in the spotlight. The right agitator needs to provide consistent blending while meeting the hygiene and safety requirements of the process.
Why Dealcoholised Wine Requires Careful Mixing
Traditional wine generally contains enough alcohol to help inhibit many spoilage microorganisms. When a wine is dealcoholised using processes such as a spinning cone column or vacuum distillation, much of that protection is removed.
The finished product can therefore be more susceptible to unwanted microbial activity.
At the same time, removing alcohol can change the flavour, aroma, body and overall mouthfeel of the wine. Producers may need to blend other ingredients into the dealcoholised base to achieve the intended sensory profile.
That makes mixing an important part of the process. Ingredients need to be dispersed evenly, but the equipment also needs to be suitable for hygienic beverage production.
Hygienic Mixing After Dealcoholisation
A mixer used in a NOLO wine process should not create unnecessary areas where product residue can collect. Equipment also needs to work effectively with the winery’s cleaning procedures.
Mixquip Sanitary Series 105 Side Entry Agitator
The Mixquip Sanitary Series 105 Side Entry Agitator is designed for hygienic processing applications, including dairy, beverage and other sanitary industries.
For NOLO wine production, it can provide controlled tank circulation while helping wineries maintain a hygienic processing environment.
Key features include:
Hygienic Design
The Series 105 is designed with sanitary processing in mind. Its construction helps minimise areas where product can accumulate, making the equipment easier to incorporate into stringent cleaning routines.
This becomes particularly important when working with low and no alcohol products, where microbial control requires close attention throughout production.
Clean-in-Place Compatibility
The mechanical seal can be positioned within the tank’s clean-in-place wash zone. This allows the agitator to form part of the existing CIP process rather than becoming a difficult component to clean separately.
For busy wineries, effective CIP integration can make routine sanitation more practical between batches.
Controlled Product Movement
NOLO wine may require the addition of ingredients to adjust body, flavour or mouthfeel after alcohol removal.
The Series 105 uses engineered propellers to circulate the contents of the tank and promote even blending. This allows ingredients to be incorporated consistently without relying on unnecessarily aggressive mixing.
What Happens to the Alcohol Removed from Wine?
Dealcoholisation does not make the ethanol disappear. Depending on the process being used, alcohol removed from the wine can be collected as a concentrated spirit or alcohol stream.
That creates a different engineering consideration.
Unlike the finished NOLO wine, this part of the process can involve a liquid and vapour environment with a higher concentration of ethanol. Equipment selection therefore needs to account for the requirements of the classified hazardous area in which it will operate.
Mixing Concentrated Alcohol Streams Safely
Standard mixing equipment should not automatically be assumed suitable for areas where flammable vapours may be present.
The electrical equipment and mixer configuration need to be selected according to the site’s hazardous area classification and relevant safety requirements.
Mixquip Series 100 Side Entry Mixer with EXD Flameproof Drive
For suitable hazardous-area applications, the Mixquip Series 100 Side Entry Mixer can be configured with an EXD flameproof drive.
This combination provides the mixing performance required for larger storage and blending tanks while allowing the drive system to be specified for environments where flammable vapours may be present.
EXD Flameproof Drive Options
An EXD flameproof motor is designed so that an ignition occurring inside the enclosure does not propagate to the surrounding hazardous atmosphere.
Correct equipment selection still depends on the specific hazardous area classification, operating conditions and applicable standards. This should be established as part of the winery’s engineering and safety assessment.
Efficient Mixing for Large Tanks
The Series 100 is manufactured in Australia by Teralba Industries and is designed for large-volume tank mixing.
Its side-entry configuration provides effective tank circulation without requiring a large top-mounted agitator. Depending on the application and configuration, the Series 100 can be used on tanks with capacities of up to one million litres.
For producers handling larger batches or storage volumes, this can provide a practical way to maintain product uniformity across the tank.
Maintenance from Outside the Tank
Maintenance is another consideration when a tank contains alcohol or other products that make draining and confined-space entry undesirable.
The Series 100 incorporates a removable mechanical seal arrangement that allows servicing from outside the tank. This can simplify maintenance and reduce the need to enter or completely drain the vessel for certain seal servicing tasks.
Choosing Mixing Equipment for NOLO Wine Production
There isn’t one mixer that suits every stage of NOLO production.
The dealcoholised wine and the recovered alcohol stream have very different processing requirements. On the product side, hygiene, cleanability and consistent blending are key considerations. Where concentrated alcohol is being handled, hazardous-area requirements become an additional part of equipment selection.
When specifying a mixer, wineries should consider:
- Tank capacity and geometry
- Product viscosity
- Required circulation and blending rate
- Existing CIP procedures
- Ingredients added after dealcoholisation
- Alcohol concentration
- Hazardous area classification
- Motor and drive requirements
- Access for servicing and maintenance
Looking at these factors early can help avoid specifying equipment that works mechanically but does not suit the wider production environment.
Talk to Mixquip About Your NOLO Wine Mixing Requirements
Moving into low and no alcohol wine production can require changes throughout the cellar, particularly around blending, sanitation and the handling of recovered alcohol.
Mixquip can help wineries assess the mixing requirements for both dealcoholised wine and associated processing streams. With sanitary agitators, large-volume side-entry mixers and drive options for suitable hazardous-area applications, equipment can be configured around the tank, product and process rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Planning a NOLO wine production line or upgrading an existing cellar?
Contact Mixquip to discuss your tank volumes, product characteristics, mixing requirements and suitable agitator configuration.
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