Before reaching the consumer, it is necessary to carry out some treatments to the wine to ensure its stability over time. The elimination of microorganisms that could alter its organoleptic characteristics is one of the most relevant ones. The traditional methods is the addition of sulfites to control their growth thanks to its bacteriostatic effect. However, the use of sulfites is controversial since its allergenic capacity has been demonstrated and the global trend is to look for alternatives that reduce its use.

An effective option is flash-pasteurization (or HTST method) that recovers the treatment already described by Pasteur. By heating the wine for a short time (around 20s) at temperatures between 50 and 70 ºC, the bacterial flora is destroyed without altering the organoleptic characteristics of the wine. Bacteria are especially sensitive to heat in an acidic environment such as wine; at the same time, the equilibrium between free sulfite and sulfur anhydride shifts towards the sulfite form, which is the one with bactericidal properties, as the temperature increases, allowing the use of smaller amounts of metabisulfite.

Another interesting use is pre-fermentation flash-pasteurization (flash-détente) which was introduced in France just a decade ago. Through this process, the grapes are squeezed and de-stemmed to be immediately subjected to heating (30 seconds, 70-80 ºC) and cooling immediately afterwards, in less than a second, by means of a vacuum chamber. This combination eliminates in a single step all the bacterial and yeast flora in the must (which also allows the winemaker a specific selection of the yeasts that he wishes to use later), inactivates enzymes such as laccase (that favors oxidative damage), breaks the cell wall releasing the components of the grape and removes up to approximately 10% of water due to the effect of the vacuum together with potentially annoying volatile aromas (smell of smoke or herbal aromas) that may (or may not) be returned to the must. The result is a must that is more concentrated in aromas and phenolic compounds, optimal for the production of quality wines even from harvests affected by mildew or botrytis, without affecting varietal characteristics of the grape. The oenologist can then proceed (directly or with a previous settling) to the fermentation in the tank, without additional maceration since the extraction of polyphenols has been complete or carry out much shorter macerations (24 hours) with the consequent saving in time and energy.