Man dies after inhaling wine fermentation gases while working in winery

The young man inhaled 'tufo', the carbon dioxide generated during the alcoholic fermentation of must to produce wine

J.M.L.

Ciudad Real

Friday, 9 August 2024, 13:45

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The 'tufo' has once again claimed a victim in a winery. On this occasion it happened in a bodega in Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real) and the victim was a young 27-year-old worker who was found unconscious on Tuesday night inside the premise. A medical team was sent to the scene of the incident but those attending could only certify his death.

Cause of death was inhalation of carbon dioxide released during the alcoholic fermentation of must to produce wine. The yeasts transform the natural sugar in the grapes into alcohol but they also release carbon dioxide, an odourless, colourless gas that can render a person unconscious, leading to death by asphyxiation within a few minutes. It is the infamous, dreaded 'tufo' (fumes), which is not dangerous under normal conditions but lethal in high concentrations. It is the same gas that causes the greenhouse effect and, since it weighs more than oxygen, it accumulates in the soil. It is estimated that 50 litres of carbon dioxide are generated in a winery for every litre of wine produced, hence the importance of ensuring good ventilation, something that wine producers knew centuries ago when they built 'tuferas' on the roofs of their wine-cellars with chimneys on the outside.

In the past, a candle was used to detect this gas and, if it went out, the winery would be quickly evacuated because it indicated a lack of oxygen. Nowadays, wineries have sensors that monitor and detect the presence of CO2, but these deadly occupational accidents continue to occur, especially in the first days of the grape harvest when large quantities of grapes arrive at the wineries and the first fermentations begin.

Necessary gas

However, carbon dioxide is necessary to control the oxygen levels in the wine, protect the liquid, give it freshness, reduce the sweetness and favour carbonic maceration (so the whole grape ferments properly). Carbon dioxide also manages to bring a particular aroma and more freshness to white and rosé wines in which the CO2 content must be higher than in red wines.

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