COMPANY PROFILE

A 2005 Australian study determined that existing membrane methods for smoke removal were initially effective, but that sometimes smoke taint compounds bound to sugar (glycosides) would be slowly released back into wine and result in smoke flavors and aromas returning. Some have tried to break down these sugar-smoke complexes with enzymes, but lab results demonstrate that this fails to release these bound flavors and aromas.  Therefore, it has become SOP to leave no residual sugar in wine made from smoke exposed grapes. 

Additionally, we developed new membrane and adsorption regimens in order to efficiently remove the full spectrum of flavors and aromas.  We also recommend removing more than is necessary to drop below the sensory threshold. The new regimens allow that to proceed faster and more gently. 

There are a couple of things that can present challenges in finishing the wine. For example, even very low (and very normal) levels of some microbes (such as Brettanomyces and Dekkera) can elevate the aromatic and flavor profile of trace smoke levels.  Likewise, blending--even two wines not showing smoke flavors--can sometimes result in smoke flavors and aromas.  For these reasons, we recommend treating wine not long before bottling and blending carefully. 

Following our careful guidelines will allow you to follow the dozens of winemakers who have used our process to eliminate smoke taint. 

We are seeing a large number of stuck fermentations with this harvest. All are relatively quickly and easily handled with a little effort.  Smoke taint, fortunately, seems to be very, very limited. Read on for assistance with restarting stuck ferments.

High alcohol is the most likely cause of stuck fermentation. The best first step is to reduce the alcohol to a potential under 15% (alcohol % + (brix * .57)). Then restart fermentation with a killer yeast as suggested by your yeast vendor.

Processing loss from Mavrik’s alcohol reduction process is 40-60% less than other methods, making it by far the most economical means of restarting. Via Mavrik’s unique, no heat, no pressure process, there is no collateral damage to flavors other than alcohol. Cloudy wine does not present a problem.

VA above .080 mg/100ml can also be a cause of stuck fermentation. However, Mavrik’s consultants have seen plenty of wines with VA as high as .130 mg/100ml ferment strongly once the alcohol has been reduced and reinoculated with a killer yeast.  Our winemakers suggest that, unless the VA is very high, it is best to deal with alcohol first. Later in the winemaking cycle, you can assess the VA of your blend and determine whether it needs to be reduced. It may not.

Mavrik’s VA solutions range from very low-pressure DIY rental machines to low pressure custom service for up to hundreds of thousands of gallons.

Although demand for stuck fermentation assistance is heating up, Mavrik is typically capable of maintaining short lead times year round due to the unique practice of retaining its skilled workforce during slow times.

When choosing a technique for smoke taint removal, there is a lot to be said for "tried and true".  This is why many have already taken advantage of our 25% off during harvest offer on smoke taint. In fact, many of our smoke taint customers have used our process before and appreciate how effective it is.  The special continues for the months of October and November.  Call 707.320.0672 or info@mavrikna.com to get in on it. 

This is NOT new:  You want your wine to lose the smoke flavors/aromas without being heated, vacuumed, disassembled, subjected to high pressure, or otherwise abused. You can have what you want. And it is 25% (min) off for work performed in September and October. 

Our principals have been involved with smoke tainted wines since for more than 15 years.  We've offered this service since 2008.  And, although its seen some improvements over the years, you can't call it new. Despite refinement, it still removes smoke taint at low pressure. With no heat. No disassembly/reassembly of your wine. Just simply removal of smoke taint.  Fast, economical, and effective. It may not be new. But it remains the best. 

Get on our schedule now for substantial discounts for smoke taint removal done during the months of September or October. 

707.320.0672 or info@mavrikna.com

Not all that much it turns out.  At least not when it comes to removing it from your  wine.  It turns out that most of the time 2-4 "passes" is sufficient. 

Depending on volumes, this can cost a lot less than $0.20 per gallon per pass.  For small volumes, our "Eclipse" series rental systems are also available.

We've been consolidating our experience and R&D program in smoke taint removal since the early 2000s and have summarized our approach to efficient, low impact, low pressure smoke taint removal for your convenience: CLICK HERE.

In 2010, we became the first service provider to offer pyrazine reduction . . . in the world.  It was actually a byproduct of our smoke taint removal R&D program prompted by the 2008 Mendocino fires. 

Our smoke taint R&D was intensive and we noticed that one of our test wines, when the smoke taint was removed, revealed a strong pyrazine character.  Further, we noticed that this pyrazine character varied, depending on the technique used.  We concluded that some of the techniques were removing pyrazine. 

We isolated those techniques from the smoke taint removal R&D program. This is because we never want to remove anything other than the target compound or flavor (even if it may be viewed as a positive sometimes).  

After completing our R&D for smoke taint, we came back to the pyrazine question. Eventually, we were able to isolate the removal of pyrazine flavors and nothing else.  The timing was fortuitous, as this was the summer of 2010.  You may recall that the 2010 harvest had some pretty strong underripe issues.  In the years since, this process has become very popular.

We are proud to be able to offer pyrazine removal at 50% off for the month of May. Any pyrazine removal work performed, or contract signed for pyrazine removal during the month of May will be discounted 50%.  So contact us now to get on the schedule for your pyrazine removal. 

Trials are available.

info@mavrikna.com

707.320.0672

Aside from cost of course, what is important when you need to reduce VA in your wine?  Pressure.  

Since its inception, VA removal technologies have been characterized by high pressure.  When we decided the create a better solution, VA removal technologies operated at a minimum of 600 psi and up to 1500 psi.  Those services are still around. 

Not all that much it turns out.  At least not when it comes to removing it from your  wine.  It turns out that most of the time 2-4 passes is sufficient. 

Depending on volumes, this can cost a lot less than $0.20 per gallon per pass.  For small volumes, our "Eclipse" series rental systems are also available.

We've been consolidating our experience and R&D program in smoke taint removal since the early 2000s and have summarized our approach to efficient, low impact smoke taint removal for your convenience: CLICK HERE.

We started with a simple proposition: Do rigorous R&D on every solution (VA, EtOH, Smoke, etc) until you make a material improvement. From the beginning, the partners who started Mavrik agreed not to offer any solution until we had made a material improvement over what anybody else could offer. Most of these are well known to the industry by now. Alcohol reduction w/o heat; Low pressure VA reduction; Complete smoke taint reduction; and many more.

Recently, we wrote about development of our process to target bound glycosides in smoke taint. Let's focus on how to defeat this phenomenon which releases smoke compounds back into the wine over time.

The volume of smoke taint reduction (as well as VA reduction) has us all working extended hours in the office and in the field. We apologize if we are slow responding to you. The best way to get an estimate/on our schedule is to email details to info@mavrikna.com.

HOW MANY PASSES DOES IT TAKE TO KEEP SMOKE TAINT BELOW THRESHOLD?

This is a question we get often.  However, there is no reasonable answer to this question.  Let me explain.

With VA reduction we can answer this question.  So if you ask us to take it from 1 g/l down to .7 g/l, we can tell you that is "about one pass". In reality, its less that one pass equivalent for us, because our process is more efficient. But its not orders of magnitude.

With smoke taint reduction, it is orders of magnitude.  So we really can't answer that question.  For example. Let's consider a wine with 10 ppb of guaiacol and 2.5 ppb of 4-methylguaiacol.  With a "pass" method, you could run that wine through the machine for a whopping 5 passes.  And yet, it would still have an ashy finish and the smoky aromas and flavors might very well creep back above threshold once the glycoside bonds deteriorate. Then of course, you would watch as your wine runs through a PVPP resin several times to strip out the ashy finish.

Our process simply takes away the aromas, flavors, and ashy finish all at once. We simply can't give a "pass" comparison. Because if we said "5 passes" the reality would be much less processing impact and, at the same time, much more result.

From our first exposure to smoke tainted wines in Australia more than 10 years ago, it was clear that there was a problem with remediation processes being used there.  

First and foremost, they removed flavors and aromas that did not contribute to smoke taint. We deemed this unacceptable.

Second, they failed to remove the full spectrum of flavors and aromas that are associated with smoke taint. So much so that some in Australia (and subsequently the US) added a second entirely different process which amounts to a heavy fining of the wine to remove the rest of the offensive flavors. We weren't willing to go that route.

Third, they failed to account for smoke taint flavors and aromas that are bound to glucose. At the time, this problem stumped everybody. But we knew we had to crack it to offer a top shelf smoke taint removal. 

So when the Mendocino fires started in June of 2008, we embarked on a comprehensive R&D and learning process.  

First, we learned how to tailor the adsorbents we used so as to not adsorb aromas and flavors, primarily related to oak, that are desirable in wine.  To be entirely honest, at this step we got lucky. Because in tailoring our adsorbent to avoid these desirables, we found that the result happened to adsorb the entire broad spectrum of undesirable flavors and aromas associated with smoke taint.  

This first solution solved the first and second problems enumerated above. 

Then we focused on solving the third problem above--what to do about glucose bound smoke flavors and aromas.  This one was more recalcitrant. However, a prominent wine lab ultimately played an unintentional part in us cracking this problem too. It turned out that their analyses were so accurate and consistent, that we could proceed "blindly" past taste thresholds so that we removed enough of the undesirable flavors/aromas that the negligible remaining bound portions couldn't cause a problem again. With any other method, this would result in undesirable harm to the wine. But due to our ability to shield the desirable flavors and maximize removal of the undesirable flavors, the result is recovery of the wine's potential.

Ultimately, the two solutions complemented each other. The first one eliminated the harsh collateral damage of other methods. This enabled us to dial in proper calibration of our process so as to eliminate any possibility of recurrence. Since then we have successfully processed some of the most expensive wines available without recurrence or complaint. 

Quite well actually. 

As we've stated previously, the short, late exposure has resulted in very low levels of hit or miss smoke taint. That is relatively good news. 

Even better news is that we have completed our initial lots of smoke taint removal from the 2017 vintage. It has gone very well.  Everything we've worked with has shown elimination of smoke taint character, return of fruity aromas and flavors, and elimination of the characteristic ashy finish. 

All of this is accomplished with a gentle, specially tailored one step process performed on-site at your facility. 

Contact us for assistance in returning your wine to its natural state.

Download a summary of research and best practices for smoke taint here. 

As we've written recently, this is not a repeat of 2008. The exposure this year has been shorter and later. Nonetheless, in select cases the exposure has been intense enough to cause mild to very mild smoke taint results based on analyses coming in. Importantly, some seemingly affected vineyards are showing no sign of smoke taint.

The mild results we are hearing about are easily and economically resolved with our progressive treatment process (in fact, we've resolved much higher levels than these). So, what to do? The tl;dr version is continue doing exactly what you would do in a normal year. When you get a chance, read this. 

In the meantime, we've begun helping some wineries who were without power and/or access for extended times to resolve some issues that arose from those challeges. We are continuing to offer discounts and/or special terms to those needing help with these sorts of issues resulting from the fires. 

NOTE: this is a repeat of what we posted 2 weeks ago. As we speak with our friends and neighbors it only reinforces our early impressions. 

Our communities--Santa Rosa, Napa, Yountville, Sonoma, Kenwood, Redwood Valley and all the rest, as well as the winemaking community--are resilient. Our thoughts are with all of you. 

I am relieved to announce that our facility in Santa Rosa escaped harm and all of our employees are safe. Therefore, we will re-open for business next monday 10/16.  If we missed your call the week of the 9th, we apologize. Please contact us again after the 16th, or feel free to email us immediately, as we are monitoring email: info@mavrikna.com

I also want to add a few quick thoughts on smoke taint. Here is the short version: don't worry about it. With a few exceptions, its just too darn late for the smoke to effect the grapes on the vine or fermenting/fermented wines to a significant extent. And in the unlikely event they pick up some smoke, we can remove it w/o collateral damage. Worry about it later.

If you or your vineyards are in an effected area, you have more important things to worry about. Get those grapes in and get them fermenting. If your winery is not operational, call a friend outside the effected areas. You know they will help out. 

When you get a chance, read this .  It will get you up to speed on what you need to know. 

Additionally, if you've had unattended fermentations happening, the problems that arise can be dealt with later. Take care of them as you can and worry about the wine later. 

Perhaps the only problem requiring immediate attention is stuck ferments.  We can get you rocking and rolling quickly, regardless of the wine. 

Give us a call for any immediate needs. Worry about the rest later. We wish everybody the best for a speedy recovery. 

400 PSI

Above that pressure, your wine's volatile esters run great risk of being transformed into non volatile compounds. That sounds like a lot of pressure for wine. That's because it is.

Yet VA reduction and other RO based services routinely apply 600psi, 800psi, up to 1200psi to your wine. 

We invented low-pressure VA removal. And we remain the only provider in the world to offer it. Always below 400psi. Its really that simple when choosing the lowest impact VA removal in the business.

Mavrik: Celebrating 10 Years

Despite the false claims of some, dealing with solids in fermenting (or stuck) wine is a capability we possess. 

VA is the most likely culprit in a stuck fermentation. But first, make sure its really stuck. Although textbooks say .08 mg/100ml will invariably stick, our experience shows fermentations will often continue well past that mark. If the VA is stable or slowly climbing, it can be preferable to let it finish slowly and deal with the VA after it is dry rather than attempting to restart it. Then you can deal with the VA much more precisely.

If alcohol is clearly the cause of the stuck ferment, no worries. We can reduce the alcohol and you can restart. This uses our familiar in-house developed membrane that removes alcohol only, with no heat, no pressure, no vacuum and no loss of wine.

Once again, don't believe the silly claims that our systems can't handle solids. That's never been the case, despite false claims to the contrary. 

Fires and smoke always cause anxiety. Beyond the danger of the fire itself, there is the lingering question of smoke taint. With the fires of 2015, some stoked this fear with premature alarm. On the other hand, we counseled cautious optimism. We feel the same is warranted this year. 

In 2008, the fires started the third week of June and carried through into late July and mid August. In 2015, the fires that caused concern started the second week of August and carried well into September and even October. In short, 2008 happened at the prime time for smoke taint, while 2015 happened well after the primary cause for concern. 

In 2008, the smoke taint was wide spread over vast regions and sometimes affected vineyards that weren't even known to have been directly exposed to smoke. In 2015, smoke taint was very limited to cases where fire was very close, and very intense, in some cases burning right up to or into the vineyard. 

So, where does that put 2016? Well, later than 2008, and earlier than 2015. That indicates some minor risk. However, in a lot of cases, the smoke has blown away from vineyards consistently. Although this doesn't negate concern entirely, it is cause for optimism. In other cases, the smoke has directly impacted vineyards, but only recently, near or even past the end of veraison. This timing is also cause for optimism.

In both cases, it is advisable to proceed as usual, with one caveat. Make sure to do a sensory analysis of anything potentially effected 6 weeks post ML. 

The reason for that, as well as much more information and advice are available in our Smoke Taint Summary. By clicking on the link you will find collected and summarized research on smoke taint, as well as best practices and options.

In short, there is no need to panic. Indeed, there is plenty of cause for optimism and effective options for dealing with effected wines if they pop up later on. 

The VA Dilemma

With modern winemaking, VA creeps up. Sometimes too far. Then you have to decide which is worse, the current VA level, or the effect of VA reduction. There are several things to consider when making that decision.

High Pressure Sales

The most dominant effect of VA reduction comes from the pressure used. In the beginning, the membranes were crude and needed tremendous pressure--around 1200psi. With some tweaking, pressures eventually came down to about 800psi. 

The problem is that above 400psi, volatile esters can saponify, or turn into non-aromatic compounds. This is the observation that led us to develop what remains the only VA reduction technology which operates below 400psi. Our machines are built so that they can't even be operated higher.

Off the Rack or Tailor Made?

All of the innovations in VA reduction over the last quarter+ century have been made by companies that specialize in VA reduction. They have R&D departments, they have chemists, they have engineers, they have winemakers, all of whom work on a very narrow range of highly technical matters related to getting VA out of wine. The people who operate the equipment are involved in design and building. They know these machines by heart.  These are your tailor-made suits. 

But, inevitably the oldest designs have been cloned by generalists who churn out dozens of copies a year of low tech things like destemmers and tanks. These are your off the rack, department store options. 

Unlike the clothing industry, tailor-made VA reduction is not more expensive than department store VA reduction. In fact, due to specialization, its often less expensive to choose the best, low pressure, tailor-made option. 

Avoiding Collateral Damage

So the choice is easy to boil down to two simple factors:  Low pressure processing by a company that designs, builds, and operates its own equipment. Going this route makes it easy to solve the VA dilemma. If the VA is too high, reduce it and don't worry about collateral damage.

Mavrik Promotes Matt Zinkl to Product Marketing Specialist

Santa Rosa,CA(June 23, 2016).  Mavrik North America has promoted Matt Zinkl to Product Marketing Specialist.

Matt first started with Mavrik in 2008 as a winery technician.  With a degree from UCDavis, he caught on quickly to the winemaking and technical intricacies of Mavrik’s processes.  After leaving Mavrik to join the winemaking team at a large winery, Matt returned to Mavrik again a few years ago.

“Matt’s experience making wine, operating our machines, and his education made him the obvious choice for this position,” said Bob Kreisher, Mavrik’s President.

He will be responsible for all territories other than the east coast.

ABOUT MAVRIK

Founded in 2006, Mavrik is a family-owned and operated company, based in Santa Rosa,CA.

Mavrik’s research & development efforts have led to original technologies and equipment for purchase, rental, or as a service, some of which are patent pending:

• Alcohol reduction
• Volatile acidity and ethyl acetate removal
• Pyrazine removal
• 4ep/4eg removal
• Smoke taint removal
• Tartrate stability
• Sulfide removal
• Sulfite removal

We continue to see a very large numberof stuck fermentations with this harvest. All are relatively quickly and easily handled with a little effort.  

With grape-picking nearly finished for the vast majority of the West Coast’s wineries, attention has turned to fermentation. We have been approached by a surprising number of its clientele for assistance with stuck fermentations. Encounters with smoke taint on the other hand are, as expected, quite limited so far.

High alcohol is the most likely cause of stuck fermentation. The inhibitory level varies dramatically by yeast strain (from 12-14% in most cases, sometimes less for wild yeast). The best first step is to reduce the alcohol to a potential under 15% (alcohol % + [brix * .57]). Then restart fermentation with a killer yeast as prescribed by your yeast vendor.

Processing loss from Mavrik’s alcohol reduction process is 40-60% less than other methods, making it by far the most economical means of restarting. Mavrik’s process removes no flavors other than alcohol from the wine. Cloudy wine can be handled without problem.

VA above .080 mg/100ml can also be a cause of stuck fermentation. However, Mavrik’s consultants have seen plenty of wines with VA as high as .130 mg/100ml ferment strongly once the alcohol has been reduced.

"Unless the VA is very high, it is best to deal with alcohol first. Later in the winemaking cycle, you can assess the VA of your blend and determine whether it needs to be reduced,” said Mariana Brown, Mavrik’s Winemaker and Director of Operations.

Mavrik’s VA solutions range from very low-pressure DIY rental machines to low pressure custom service for up to hundreds of thousands of gallons.

Although demand for stuck fermentation assistance is heating up, Mavrik is typically capable of maintaining short lead times year round due to the unique practice of retaining its skilled workforce during slow times.

Santa Rosa, CA (September 30, 2015). With grape-picking nearly finished for the vast majority of the West Coast’s wineries, attention has turned to fermentation. Mavrik North America has been approached by a surprising number of its clientele for assistance with stuck fermentations. Encounters with smoke taint on the other hand are, as expected, quite limited so far.

Mavrik advises its clients that high alcohol is the most likely cause of stuck fermentation. The inhibitory level varies dramatically by yeast strain (from 12-14% in most cases). The best first step is to reduce the alcohol to a potential under 15% (alcohol % + [brix * .57]). Then restart fermentation with a killer yeast as prescribed by your yeast vendor.

Processing loss from Mavrik’s alcohol reduction process is 40-60% less than other methods, making it by far the most economical means of restarting. Mavrik’s process removes no flavors other than alcohol from the wine.

VA above .080 mg/100ml can also be a cause of stuck fermentation. However, Mavrik’s consultants have seen plenty of wines with VA as high as .130 mg/100ml ferment strongly once the alcohol has been reduced.

“Unless the VA is very high, it is best to deal with alcohol first. Later in the winemaking cycle, you can assess the VA of your blend and determine whether it needs to be reduced,” said Mariana Brown, Mavrik’s Winemaker and Director of Operations.

Mavrik’s VA solutions range from very low-pressure DIY rental machines to low pressure custom service for up to hundreds of thousands of gallons.

Although demand for stuck fermentation assistance is heating up, Mavrik is typically capable of maintaining short lead times year round due to the unique practice of retaining its skilled workforce during slow times.

ABOUT MAVRIK

Founded in 2006, Mavrik is a family-owned and operated company, based in Santa Rosa, CA.

Mavrik’s research & development efforts have led to original technologies and equipment for purchase, rental, or as a service, some of which are patent pending:

• Alcohol reduction
• Volatile acidity and ethyl acetate removal
• Pyrazine removal
• 4ep/4eg removal
• Smoke taint removal
• Tartrate stability
• Sulfide removal
• Sulfite removal

Check out our new webstore, featuring Pump Carts, Lab Equipment, Valves, and More.

There has been a lot of speculation about smoke taint this year. Despite what some may say, the risk appears to be relatively low. 

We've been dealing with assessing and reducing risk, as well as ameliorating problems for over a decade. We've read all the research and compiled the worldwide experience of ourselves and others. And we've condensed it all into 4 pages of concise and helpful information. 

Read the state of the art on smoke taint and wine by clicking here.

Fortunately for many, the time of greatest risk associated with wildfire smoke taint in grapes has already passed. Nonetheless, the recent fires in wine growing areas make this a great time to brush up on how to best avoid problems with smoke tainted wine.

We've been dealing with assessing and reducing risk, as well as ameliorating problems for over a decade. We've read all the research and compiled the worldwide experience of ourselves and others. And we've condensed it all into 4 pages of concise and helpful information. 

Read the state of the art on smoke taint and wine by clicking here.

Mavrik North America has teamed with The Ranch Winery to open its sixth alcohol reduction hub on the west coast.  Existing locations includeSan Luis Obispo,Lodi,Santa Rosa,Napa, and Hopland, with additional locations pending TTB approval. 

"The Ranch Winery, with over 6 million gallons of capacity, and a great track record of efficient, high-level winemaking for a variety of clients, made an ideal location for Mavrik's latest Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) for alcohol reduction", said Mariana Brown, Mavrik's Winemaker and Director of Operations.

Mavrik’s third generation alcohol reduction technology differs greatly from spinning cone and reverse osmosis predecessors. Developed by Mavrik's R&D team, the process utilizes a proprietary membrane that removes only alcohol and nothing else. It operates merely by contact, using pumps only to gently move cellar temperature wine through the system at a nominal 10psi.

The result is an enologically and economically advantageous process:

• no heat, no pressure, no vacuum
• 40-60% lower processing losses
• faster processing times
• dramatically lower costs

The need for more, and larger, locations for Mavrik alcohol reduction, such as The Ranch Winery, have developed in recent years due to expanded demand.  High end wineries, like Napa's cult cabs, supported Mavrik's dealc process when it was introduced 7 years ago based on wine quality. But economies of scale have progressed such that today, Mavrik's dealc service is equally utilized by large wineries seeking dramatic cost savings. 

A Brief History of VA Reduction

Two weeks ago, we brought you a brief history of alcohol reduction from the oldest to newest (see below).  This week, we spotlight the newest: Our very own Direct Contact Extraction. (DCE).

In the 1990's when UC Davis and U of Verona were experimenting with membrane contactors, they discovered a few significant limitations. 

• inherently slow kinetics of alcohol transfer across the membrane
• some aromatic migration across the membrane
• potential wet out (failure) of membranes
• extraordinarily expensive

These reasons led researchers at both universities to conclude that there was no promise for these membrane contactors in alcohol reduction in wine. 

Mavrik concurs, which led our R&D team down an entirely different path that culminated in DCE.  But first, we examined the materials, sizes, pores, architecture, electrical potentials, and more of the failed membrane contactors to understand why they were so bad at removing alcohol.

With that knowledge in hand, we designed a series of DCE modules, correcting each of the weaknesses. Our testing showed great success and culminated in one design integrating all successful variations.

• efficient mass transfer
• no aromatic migration
• no loss of wine

The only failure of the R&D department came in the form of Volatile Acidity. Membrane contactors were able to remove some VA from the wine. However, Mavrik found that the design parameter that permitted that was the same design parameter that allowed some of the desirable volatiles to cross in the old fashioned membrane contactors. So, when we designed that out of the membranes, VA removal was sacrificed also. 

The end result was exactly what we were looking for: a fast process which removes nothing but alcohol from wine. Thus, a process that not only eliminated collateral damage, but also resulted in the lowest losses available (just the alcohol removed).

This allowed us to develop the process early on (about 7 years ago) with high end producers who were willing to pay whatever it cost to remove alcohol from their wine without collateral damage. 

Since then, economies of scale have enabled us to become the cost leader on all blends, even those of hundreds of thousands of gallons and more, for pennies a gallon. 

Regardless of whether you buy service, your own machine, or lease, the best is also the least expensive. No heat. No pressure. No loss other than alcohol.

A Brief History of Alcohol Reduction

Alcohol removal started over 20 years ago and has grown steadily more sophisticated and, consequently, gentler on wine.

The timeline below discusses the evolution of all TTB legal processes. 

Early reports are confirming that grapes from some areas were affected by smoke from wildfires this past summer and fall. 

Its been over a decade since widespread wildfires affected Australia (bushfires, as they call them). A lot has been learned about how to deal with this annoying but not insurmountable problem. Read the state of the art here. 

Early reports are confirming that grapes from some areas were affected by smoke from wildfires this past summer and fall. 

Its been over a decade since widespread wildfires affected Australia (bushfires, as they call them). A lot has been learned about how to deal with this annoying but not insurmountable problem. Read the state of the art here. 

It looks like wildfires are back and have potentially affected some west coast wine grape growing regions. 

Learn about the state of the art in understanding and mitigating wine smoke taint. 

Mavrik's new alcohol reduction center in SLO brings our critically acclaimed service to wineries in the central coast. 

Wineries have long benefitted from our dramatically lower losses***, lower cost**, and zero impact* process, with our alcohol reduction centers now numbering four around the state. 

*Zero Impact? How? 

Otheralcohol reduction processed are based on distillation (spinning cone, RO), high pressure (RO) and vacuum (spinning cone).  These tecnologies have various impacts on the wine OTHER THAN removing alcohol:

HEAT: Distillation denatures tannins and colors and boils off volatiles as well as caramelizing sugars. 

PRESSURE: High pressure concentration (RO) precipitates colloids and saponifies volatile esters. 

VACUUM: Although the vacuum employed in a spinning cone column reduces the temperature needed for distilling alcohol (from 172F down to about 140F), it breaks the solvent-solute relationship which cannot be reconstituted after the alcohol (solvent) has been removed. 

All of these manipulations lead to the fact that 40-60% of what is removed from wine by other methods is flavors other than alcohol. 

In contrast, our method employs a unique membrane of our own exclusive design and use which removes only alcohol, nothing else. And it does so at ambient temperature, using 10-15 psi, and no vacuum separations.  

**Lower Cost? How?  

Simple.  Lower minimum charges.  Lower charge per unit of alcohol removed. We got our start with high end wines whose makers refused to compromise quality.  But after six years, our economies of scale are such that we save our client tremendous amounts of money on everything from $250/bottle Napa cab to million gallon blends. 

***Lower Loss? How?

Simple.  Other methods remove many flavors other than alcohol (more than half of what they remove in some cases). Our method removes nothing but alcohol.  The savings in reduced loss is sometimes bigger than the cost of the job alone. 

Mavrik has added veteran winemaker and equipment guru Steve Doherty as Sales Director.  Part of Mavrik's exceptional growth, Steve will manage Mavrik's customer experience as only somebody with his unique expertise can. 

• always less than 400psi to protect esters--a promise no other process can make
• negligible effect on pH and TA
• treatment w/o negative effects (several passes possible)
• most cost-effective
• experienced technicians supported by in-house winemaking team mean low stress for you

• less wine moved for equal result
• no heat pickup
• >30% reduction per pass

• no variable headspaces or extra tank
• negligible heat pickup
• pay for precise final VA
• client chooses final VA by number or sensory

Mavrik's DIY systems, called the Eclipse series, are a popular rental and purchase item.  Learn more about our innovative low pressure systems.  VA reduction without impact.

INFO

Brochure 

These 110v single-phase systems are framed in a kevlar-coated lightweight alloy and, like our full-service option, operate at less than 1/3 the pressure required by other treatment systems. So you treat more wine with less impact. 

You'll be shocked how economical our smaller systems for small wineries are. Best of all, our systems are TTB approved to reduce alcohol in your wine legally.  

And they feature our coveted dealc process:

• no heat
• no pressure
• no vacuum
• nothing but alcohol removed

Click Here for a Brochure.

Or Contact Us. 

Our latest White Paper presents two case studies to help determine when it is worth it to treat very high VA.  

Or, how to lower pH, reduce SO2, and stabilize tartrates without effecting flavor or structure. 

You'll be shocked how economical our smaller systems for small wineries are. Best of all, our systems are TTB approved to reduce alcohol in your wine legally.  

And they feature our coveted dealc process:

• no heat
• no pressure
• no vacuum
• nothing but alcohol removed

Click Here for a Brochure.

Or Contact Us. 

A leading laboratory recently disclosed what your palate may already be telling you: certain 2011 wines are marked by a high level of pyrazine.

Fortunately, we perfected our process for pyrazine removal years ago, so it is already well-known. It is so efficient, it doesn't matter how high the pyrazine level is.  Any variation in processing to below threshold is negligible.  As always, we pass the savings from from our high efficiency on to you with remarkable pricing.

ETS now offers pyrazine analysis. This is great for confirming that the vegetative character is indeed a result of elevated pyrazines.

Familiar will be our classically low pressures and high selectivity.  Trials are available, but are not necessary.  If its green, it can be treated, without collateral damage.

Contact us today to deal with this simple matter.

When you remove alcohol from your wine, you want to minimize the impact as much as possible.  There are three great ways to ensure that you do no harm.

FIRST, is to choose a method that does not involve quality impairing manipulations.  There are three approved methods in the US. One is relatively new (about 10 years) while two have been around for about 20 years.  The two older methods involve one or more highly detrimental facets:

• high pressure
• vacuum
• heat
• aroma stripping
• wine deconstruction

The third method, which we call Direct Contact Extraction (DCE) employs none of these harmful processes.  It simply extracts alcohol, and only alcohol, directly from the wine. It does this at cellar temperature, without the use of pressure, heat, vacuum or any other process.  

SECOND, ensure that your dealcoholization does not lose valuable flavors along with the alcohol removed. With the older methods, about 50% to 60% of what is removed is flavors other than alcohol. 

The big upside of DCE is that everything that is removed from the wine is alcohol.

THIRD, ensure that you don't lose valuable wine volume.  By removing only alcohol, DCE delivers 50% to 60% smaller losses due to processing. 

SECRET ONE: Lower cost. You might think that our process would be an expensive service.  It probably doesn't help when you meet one of our high-end winery clients who mentions they use us for dealc.  If the Napa cult cab uses us, it must be expensive, no?  Well, no.  Our process costs much less than any other alcohol reduction process available.  From 20-50% less actually.  This holds for small lots as well as large ones, with the lowest minimums around.

SECRET TWO: Lower volume loss. Because our process removes only alcohol, the loss is limited to the volume of alcohol removed.  This is something that distillation cannot achieve.  In fact, with some of the distillation-based dealc processes, more than half of what is lost from the wine is flavors other than alcohol. 

SECRET THREE: No collateral damage. This is a classic case of addition by subtraction.  In comparison to the other methods of dealcoholization:

• take away the heat
• take away the pressure
• take away the vacuum
• take away the loss of flavors other than alcohol

And what you are left with is a process that affects wine in precisely the desired way: removal of alcohol. 

ABOUT MAVRIK DEALCOHOLIZATION: Mavrik's process is simplicity itself.  Alcohol is extracted across a membrane that permits only alcohol and nothing else to cross. It does so at ambient temperature, with no pressure, no heat, no vacuum, and no compromise.  Like everything we do, this process is TTB-approved.   

No Heat.  No Pressure.  One-step dealc by membrane, for as low as $6.25 per Proof Gallon.  Very low minimum fees as well for small lots.

For a few decades, methods using distillation, or high pressure, or both, forced you to accept a certain impact on quality. However, Mavrik offers the no impact alternative.

It all centers around a membrane of our own design. This membrane enables us to remove alcohol and nothing else.  And it enables us to do so at typical cellar temperatures.  No heat. No vacuum.  And no high pressure RO involved either. 

High end producers love the process because it removes only alcohol and leaves the wine unfazed.  But value wine producers love it for the fact that it is absolutely the lowest cost alternative around. 

Mavrik is located in Santa Rosa, but chances are that our process is available near you.  

• <400psi--a promise no other process can make
• negligible effect on pH and TA
• treatment w/o negative effects (several passes possible)
• most cost-effective
• experienced technicians supported by in-house winemaking team 

• less wine moved for equal result
• no heat pickup
• >30% reduction per pass

• no variable headspaces or extra tank
• negligible heat pickup
• pay for precise final VA
• client chooses final VA by number or sensory

Rot and Mold Removal Samples (aka, 2010-2011)

A lot of people were concerned this past summer about the moldy/rot characters in their wines from 2011 and 2010.  We worked with a lot of people to remove these characters--ranging from a metallic funk to musty, mousy, and so on.

Obviously, you are flying in the dark here, without a specific compound to aim for. But we researched and trialed the broad spectrum of separation technologies and adsorbents in our arsenal to come up with a combination that reliably adsorbs the offending flavors/aromas of wine made from rain-damaged grapes.

We have been so proud of the results, we recently bottled up samples of a wine we treated. It was made from moldy grapes harvested over the course of several days after heavy rains. The resulting funk pretty much ruined the wine.  I think you would be impressed with the after sample which shows tremendous varietal character (pinot noir) and fruit, and no negative side effects  from the treatment.  The winery, originally planning to bulk it out, decided to bottle it after our treatment.

If you have something suffering from the recent wet vintages, give us a call (707-320-0672) and tell us about it.  If you want to clean it up to use or bulk it, we'll send you a sample of this pinot to assess.

We have completely updated our smoke taint information on our website. 

We have continually revised and refined the selectivity of our process to have no negative effect on your wine.  You can recover the wine to be as good or better than if it had not been exposed to wildfires in the first place.

AROMATIC  PHENOLS

Aromatic phenols vary across a very broad spectrum. Our research discovered that those which cause the sensory defect of smoke taint share an important set of characteristics, making it possible to target them for removal.  The markers guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol are not part of this group.

As a result, we are able to target the offensive compounds, while removing little of the desirable volatile phenols--those associated with oak aging, like guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol.

PROCESSING CONDITIONS

Only the gentlest is good enough for your wine. Our very low pressures and very selective separations mean the wine rebounds quickly from processing, to show no negative effects. Low-key intervention attracts little attention, and requires very little input (aside from sensory) from you and/or your staff.

RESULTS

• laboratory analysis has no correlation with sensory qualities AFTER processing by Mavrik
• laboratory analysis before processing has accuracy of +/- 10%
• therefore, our model accurately predicts processing needed to within 10%
• you call the end of processing based on your sensory analysis
• no long-term detrimental effects to wine

MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION

For reasons not entirely understood, the sensory expression of smoke taint may not stabilize until about 4-6 weeks post ML. For this reason we do not advise treating until after ML.

FOR MORE INFO, CLICK HERE

pH Secrets

Small acid additions are usually effective and useful.  However, it may also leave the resulting wine tart and angular.  

Our pH lowering processes--one for juice and one for wine--reduce the buffering capacity without otherwise affecting the wine/juice. Buffers push the pH of the juice upward in contrast to acid.  This is why there is not an absolute relationship between pH and TA.  As grapes ripen, acids are lost, but these buffers are not. This is one reason that pH goes up as grapes ripen. Our processes are highly focused on removing those buffers.  They don't contribute to flavor or aroma, so, unlike adding acid, there are no negative side effects. 

Although pH reductions can be done to either juice or wine, lowering pH on juice is perhaps the most desirable choice.  Only a portion of your juice lot is needed and less overall processing is required. Because of the increased efficiency, juice pH reduction is less expensive than wine.  From a winemaking standpoint, it permits lower SO2 additions with greater protection, all the way through the winemaking process.  

Bottling Your 2011 and 2010

We have been extremely effective in dealing with selectively removing the undesirable characteristics of the 2010 and 2011 vintages. Whether it is general rot or mold characters, or diacytel, acetoin, acrolein, or just the usual pyrazine rescue, our customers are privately thanking us for helping them put forward the wines their customers expect.

I know you don't want to think about bottling right now, but after harvest is the best time to get on our schedule. 

Mavrik Appoints Kevin Wilkinson to Oversee Engineering and Fabrication

Santa Rosa,CA(July 17, 2012).  Mavrik North America has appointed Kevin Wilkinson to oversee Engineering and Fabrication operations for its winemaking technologies and equipment. Kevin will be based at Mavrik’s Santa Rosa-based fabrication and design facility.

Wilkinson grew up on a farm inSoledad,CAand graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2003 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering.  After graduation, he worked for eight years at Ag Industrial Manufacturing in Lodisupporting wineries and vineyards with a specialization in mechanical harvesters.  

Wilkinson was hired to relieve one of Mavrik’s founders, Bob Kreisher, of some engineering responsibilities. “We have several new technologies and filters coming out soon,” says Kreisher.  “As we continue to grow, my attention is increasingly commanded by research and development of gentle winemaking filtration and technologies.  Kevin is critical to maintaining our design standards, deadline management, and quality control for all of our equipment. He has already improved many of my original designs.”

Wilkinson has already made major contributions to Mavrik’s line of must pump carts, and its soon-to-be-released radical new wine filtration system.  In addition, he has improved the efficiency of the fabrication department and expanded its capabilities. 

ABOUT MAVRIK

Founded in 2006, Mavrik is a family-owned and operated company, based inSanta Rosa,CA.

Mavrik’s research & development efforts have led to original technologies and equipment, some of which are patent pending:

• Alcohol reduction in wine
• Volatile acidity and ethyl acetate removal from wine
• Pyrazine removal from wine
• 4ep/4eg removal from wine
• Tartrate stability in wine
• Must pumps
• Smoke taint removal from wine

When we developed our pyrazine removal process over two years ago it was an instant hit.  Winemakers were amazed they could reduce the pyrazines in their wine without any collateral damage to the wine. 

One early adopter, who had plenty of experience with processes based on membrane separation, was resistant at first. She had never worked with us before, but had heard we could remove pyrazines.  She had high hopes for this blend which had made stellar wines in the past, but this year had a green edge that just wouldn't go away.  She eventually decided she just wasn't ready to try a membrane process yet, because it always left the wine with a "processed" taste that she didn't like. 

She tried oak on part of the lot.  No success, but she was sure glad she didn't over oak the entire lot. She tried oenological tannins in lab trials.  No luck.  Fining trials were equally fruitless. 

Then she called us back and  agreed to try our pyrazine removal process. When we were done, she was ecstatic. She asked why the wine didn't have that "processed" quality she was used to with other membrane processes?  

The secret, we explain, is low pressure and high efficiency.  Our pyrazine process, like all our other membrane separations (VA, 4ep/eg, rot reduction, etc), is done at low pressures and high efficiencies.  In order to avoid transforming volatile esters and other key components of the wine, we keep the pressure well below 400psi-typically operating at less than half the pressure of other processes. We also focus on making the most efficient processes in order to dramatically reduce the overall amount of processing required. So we avoid that processed quality so many dislike. 

She was thrilled with the wine, and with our other processes, which she proceeded to try as needed. 

If only wehad known how popular it would make us, we would have developed it sooner.  Reducing SO2 was really a one-off solution for a customer with a malfunctioning SO2 doser.  But this comes up regularly even in the normal course of winemaking.  Now you can do something about it.

Just like our popular processes for removal of VA, Pyrazine, 4ep/eg, sulfides, and more, the SO2 reduction takes place at very low pressures and very high efficiencies. Your wine is protected by the gentleness and economy of our processes. 

2" Triclamp Butterfly Valve $69.  2" Clamp $7.  2" Triclamp Ball Valve $110.  Much more available in our webstore. 

Harvest is just around the corner and supplies at these prices are limited.  So check out our webstore now, or give us a call to get ready for harvest. This is a special acquisition, so some items may be limited.  

DIY available for any of our services with our Eclipse series system.  VA, Pyrazine, 4ep/4eg, and more on your own scale. Buy or rent. 

Brochure 

Website

These 110v single-phase systems are framed in a kevlar-coated lightweight alloy and, like our full-service option, operate at less than 1/3 the pressure required by other treatment systems. So you treat more wine with less impact. 

Brochure.

Positive displacement pumps are the gold standard in wineries for a reason. Versatility and gentle handling are the two big ones.  

Mavrik's RLC series positive displacement pumps are rapidly becoming the top choice for their enhanced gentle handling, user-friendly design, reliability and, most of all, affordability.  

Our design utilizes the highest quality brand name components in a great package.

Learn More. 

It began the way many things do: with a call from one of our loyal clients.  "Our SO2 doser malfunctioned at harvest.  Can you remove SO2--free and total?"  

So we put it to the top of our R&D program figured out how to remove free and total SO2. Now, after running the process on many, many different wines, it is available to you as one of our standard services. So if you want a little extra room to work with--or your SO2 doser malfunctioned--give us a call for our latest low impact targeted removal.

We may not be able to turn water into wine.  But in this case, we might have turned vinegar into wine.  How did it get to 9.5 g/l of volatile acidity? We don't know, we didn't have the nerve to ask.  But we took it down to a normal wine range.  And it now sells for ~ $20 a bottle.   

Why is Mavrikthe choice for tricky wine matters? Simple: our systems treat wine so gently, even a wine with 9.5 g/l of volatile acidity can be treated and sold as a stand-alone premium wine.  Imagine how gentle it is at normal VA ranges?

We haven't been able to keep them in the warehouse long enough to get some good photos until now. But I cornered this one on the way out the door the other day long enough to snap a few photos. 

Website

Brochure 

These 110v single-phase systems are framed in a kevlar-coated lightweight alloy and, like our full-service option, operate at less than 1/3 the pressure required by other treatment systems. So you treat more wine with less impact. 

Mavrik's Rotary Lobe Must Pumps are the best value in moving wine. After using them ourselves to move wine gently, we decided the entire industry should have a chance to own the best value in gentle wine movement.  Mavrik Rotary Lobe pumps.

Our complete selection is a Wine Industry Network Deal this month. 

Must Pumps 

WIN Deals

We are best known for our gentle wine services like alcohol reduction without heat or pressure, VA reduction at the lowest pressures, or tartrate stability that costs less than chilling. 

But we also sell the same reliable laboratory equipment we use for quality control on the services we provide. 

And we design and build our own rotary lobe must pumps for gentle wine, juice, and must movement.

And we sell the reliable valves and fittings we use in the machinery we design and build.  

Check out our <a target="_blank" target=_blank href="http://mavrikna.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=85">Web Store</a><br />, or give us a call to see what we can do for you.  We carefully source the best quality and value.  And there are additional discounts if you are a customer of our services as well!

When we developed our pyrazine removal process over two years ago it was an instant hit.  Winemakers were amazed they could reduce the pyrazines in their wine without any collateral damage to the wine. 

One early adopter, who had plenty of experience with processes based on membrane separation, was resistant at first. She had never worked with us before, but had heard we could remove pyrazines.  She had high hopes for this blend which had made stellar wines in the past, but this year had a green edge that just wouldn't go away.  She eventually decided she just wasn't ready to try a membrane process yet, because it always left the wine with a "processed" taste that she didn't like. 

She tried oak on part of the lot.  No success, but she was sure glad she didn't over oak the entire lot. She tried oenological tannins in lab trials.  No luck.  Fining trials were equally fruitless. 

Then she called us back and  agreed to try our pyrazine removal process. When we were done, she was ecstatic. She asked why the wine didn't have that "processed" quality she was used to with other membrane processes?  

The secret, we explain, is low pressure.  Our pyrazine process, like all our other membrane separations (VA, 4ep/eg, rot reduction, etc), is done at low pressures and high efficiencies.  In order to avoid transforming volatile esters and other key components of the wine, we keep the pressure well below 400psi-typically operating at less than half the pressure of other processes. We also focus on making the most efficient processes in order to dramatically reduce the overall amount of processing required. So we avoid that processed quality so many dislike. 

She was thrilled with the wine, and with our other processes, which she proceeded to try as needed. 

Well, now you can. Our rates are so reasonable that people have often chosen our services over equipment rental. But we still get requests:

"How can I use your very low pressure, no impact processes when I have small lots and don't want to pay to bring out your crew?"

So, we recently expanded our fabrication facilities and engineering and fabrication team in order to be able to cover yet another of your needs.

Important features of the new rental system include:

• The same gentle processing as our larger systems--top performance at 250psi max!
• Virtually all of the wine recoverable with gas
• All versions feature simple on/off automated controls to protect your wine
• Single Phase 110v operation available
• Lightweight and cost effective

Mavrik North America, founded in 2006, celebrates five years of providing innovative and highly original technologies for wine processing.  Mavrik continues to develop original technologies, instead of using derivative or outdated technologies.  Mavrik is a local (SonomaCounty), family-owned company in a field otherwise dominated by foreign companies and third parties.

Mavrik’s unusual emphasis on research and development makes it the only North American company of its kind developing unique proprietary technologies of its own design and build. US winemakers previously were dependent on Canadian, South African, Italian, French and Australian companies utilizing technologies developed in one place, machinery built in another and then sold/operated by third parties in order to pad the bottom line of international conglomerates. These disconnected roles result in services and products that are over-priced and poorly supported, as well as slow to evolve and innovate.

Mavrik’s emphasis on R&D arose from careful marketplace analysis.  Big multi-national companies are complex, multi-layered, and slow to change, resulting in inflexible, one-size fits all technologies.  Mavrik chose a different path: R&D.  This path led to testing dozens of membranes, adsorbents, and components over the last five years.

The final result: the off-the-shelf stuff others relied on simply wouldn’t deliver Mavrik’s low-pressure, no impact demands.  Fortunately, a few of the membrane and adsorbent manufacturers whose products Mavrik tested were willing to step up to Mavrik’s strict design and build criteria to collaboratively develop entirely new membranes and adsorbents for Mavrik’s original processes.  More importantly, these unique components supported Mavrik’s commitment to totally new approaches to wine processing—leading to several patent applications now in process.

Being an innovator isn’t always easy. As Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos noted in a recent interview (Wired) “[I]f you’re going to invent, you’re going to disrupt. A lot of entrenched interests are not going to like it.  .  . [S]ome of them will have a vested self-interest in preserving the old way.”

Mavrik’s disruptions—disruptions that eliminate collateral damage—have been well-received in the marketplace.  Many attempts by entrenched interests to equate the old ways with Mavrik’s innovations failed because Mavrik’s leaps forward in wine technology are quite obvious in the resulting wines and tangible factors like dramatically reduced operating pressures.  This has led to 5 years of growth during recession, attributable not only to Mavrik’s leading technologies, but also the fact that Mavrik passes on to customers the savings that spring from good design.

At five years old, Mavrik is just getting started. The next five years will bring more innovation, more patent applications, more product lines.  Ironically, Mavrik is now becoming the “foreign” interloper in international markets.