USE OF REVERSE OSMOSIS TECHNOLOGY
IN THE TREATMENT OF WINE
AND OTHER FERMENTED BEVERAGES
Proprietors of bonded wine cellars, brewers, distillers,
importers, and others concerned:
This circular notifies industry members of an ATF
ruling which will be published in a forthcoming issue of
the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Quarterly Bulletin. The
ruling will read substantially as follows:
ATF Rul. 85-6
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has
received a request from a winemaker for authorization to
use reverse osmosis to reduce alcohol in standard wine.
The use of reverse osmosis technology and equipment
allows a "feed" of standard wine to be routed under
pressure through a filtration chamber housing filters or
membranes which are selective for molecules having nominal
molecular weights (NMW) of less than 500, thereby
separating standard wine into a "permeate", namely, a
byproduct consisting essentially of alcohol and water, and
a "retentate", consisting of standard wine with reduced
levels of alcohol and water.
The Bureau's analyses of samples representative of the
feed, retentate and permeate confirm the winemaker's claim
that the retentate has the characteristics of standard
wine.
HELD, based upon a review of the provisions of 26
U.S.C. 5382 and 27 CFR 240.1053, the Bureau approves the
use of reverse osmosis technology and equipment to reduce
the ethyl alcohol in wine as an authorized process for the
treatment of standard wine under Section 240.1051b where
the process produces a finished wine acceptable in good
commercial practice.
HELD FURTHER, the byproduct of such processing is
alcoholic spirits which meets the definition of "distilled
spirits" prescribed in 26 U.S.C. 5002 and is subject to
the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to
tax liability and qualification and registration of
premises and equipment.
HELD FURTHER, in accordance with the provisions of 26
U.S.C. 5362, wine subjected to such processing shall be
transferred to the premises of a bonded winery or bonded
wine cellar in order to be removed for consumption or sale
as wine.
HELD FURTHER, processed wine to which is added water
other than that originally present in the wine prior to
processing is "other wine" under the provisions of 27 CFR
240.488 and is subject to the formula requirements of 27
CFR 240.482.
A winemaker desiring to lower the alcohol content of
wine by means of this process may obtain approval for such
use from the Regional Director (Compliance) of the region
in which the bonded winery or bonded wine cellar is
located by filing application pursuant to the provisions
of 27 CFR 240.1053 and by qualifying contiguous distilled
spirits plant premises or by shipping the wine to premises
qualified as a distilled spirits plant.
INQUIRIES. Any person having a question regarding this
circular should refer to it by number and address the
inquiry to the Associate Director (Compliance Operations),
ATTN: Chief, FAA, Wine and Beer Branch, Washington, DC
20226.
Director
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