Extreme temperatures are common in large wine fermentation tanks. If not controlled properly, they can
lead to problematic fermentations. Thus, efficient cooling and automatic control systems must be
designed. However, it is rather difficult to design and implement effective cooling and control systems
without adequate models able to reproduce the complex dynamic behavior observed in large fermentors.
Therefore, we developed a compartmental dynamic mass-and-energy-balance model able to simulate
temperature and concentration gradients in large wine fermentation tanks. This paper presents the
model, along with all its parameters. It discusses simulations of temperature, alcohol content, density,
biomass, and sugar concentrations. Finally, it presents a sensitivity analysis of the must temperature
dynamics. The model reproduced reasonably well the values of the observed variables, including the
most critical one: must temperature (with an absolute mean error of 1.4 C). After proper calibration,
it can be used to design control strategies for cooling in large wine fermentation tanks. Our research
efforts will be directed in designing such control strategies.