The shelf life of wine

Abstract

The aim of this project was to investigate and develop models for the shelf life of bottled wine and, in particular, the effects of elevated temperatures to the ageing process. The problem was divided into three sub-problems. First, calculations were made to describe the temperature of wine in a single bottle when subjected to an elevated external temperature, and then this was extended to pallets of cartons of wine. Second, equations were derived for the gas flow through the cork when a wine bottle is subject to oscillatory external temperatures, as is common in a domestic storage situation. Third, the temperature dependent reaction rates of the wine ageing process were considered and calculations performed on how elevated decrease shelf life. Suggestions were made as to relatively simple experiments that can be performed to test the models presented here.