Winery Shows Off Flash Extraction

Flash-Détente technology, designed to increase extraction of color from red grapes while minimizing seed tannins, was developed in France in the late 1990s. But the machinery has only recently made its way to the United States. In fall 2009, during harvest, a Flash-Détente system was installed at Monterey Wine Co. in King City, Calif. The results of the custom-crush winery’s first experiments with the system were unveiled at a presentation and tasting Tuesday at the facility. 

The equipment is manufactured by Pera, based in Florensac, in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. David Bayle, an enologist with Pera, explained the technology