Optimizing the use of membrane filtration for the amelioration of smoke tainted wine

Efficient removal of free and glycosylated volatile phenols from smoke tainted wine remains a significant challenge for winemakers. The partitioning of volatile phenols and their glycoconjugates (as smoke taint markers) by ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes was evaluated. While the volatile phenol content of permeate derived from NF and UF were comparable to that of untreated wine, glycoconjugates of volatile phenols were progressively concentrated in retentate as membrane molecular weight cut-off decreased. Three smoke tainted wines were subsequently fractionated by UF and the resulting permeate eluted through a column packed with adsorbent resin. Volatile phenols were removed to varying degrees (37-100 %), but glycoconjugates carried-over from one wine to the next, despite resin regeneration. Resin saturation occurred earlier for glycoconjugates than for volatile phenols, i.e., after elution of 15 vs >100 bed volumes of permeate. This study provides insight into the potential for membrane filtration to help ameliorate smoke tainted wines.