N E W S

20 www.wine t i t l es .com.au WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 V30N5

Concrete wine – �rst it was the egg, now it’s tulips and teacupsBy Cathy Howard

Concrete tanks have come a long way since the open-topped vessels once used extensively in the

Australian wine industry. In the last decade, concrete tanks have morphed into both fermenters and

storage tanks and are available in almost any shape. Cathy explores what quality improvements these

vessels are bringing to wine and whether there are any pitfalls.

In the past five to 10 years, concrete tanks and ‘concrete wine’ have been rediscovered by winemakers all over the world, but it seems that Australia is lagging behind Europe and the

United States in the uptake of larger format concrete fermenters and storage vessels.

These new generation concrete tanks are far removed from the concrete tanks that many of us have worked with around Australia. My very first vintage experience was in 1990 at Plantagenet Wines, in Mount Barker, Western Australia, and that was my introduction to concrete tanks - two rows of open-topped concrete fermenters. From that point on, many of the wineries that I worked in, particularly in South Australia and Victoria, had concrete tanks. They were all fixed to the ground or underground, came in varying sizes and were fairly limited in shape, being either cylindrical, square or rectangular.

These concrete tanks needed scraping and rewaxing prior to vintage. This presented significant occupational health and safety risk issues annually that needed to be addressed. This included allocating time and resources for intensive training sessions with cellar staff and outside training providers to ensure all staff were trained in confined space tank entry and exit and were authorised to do high risk hot work within a confined space. There were also issues with tank walls cracking and if the wax wasn’t applied evenly over the inside surface, we did see some characters in the wines that were detrimental to wine quality, which we described as ‘tanky’, ‘dank’, ‘wet concrete’, or ‘cement dust’.

In the past 10 to 12 years, concrete tanks have morphed into a fermenter and storage tank option far removed from the concrete tanks that I worked with back in the ‘90s. Now, basically any shape can be made out of concrete. Some are quite beautiful

and aesthetically pleasing to look at, such as tulips, amphora, eggs, teacups, pyramids and ellipticals. Others are more conventional in shape, such as squares, cylinders, open-topped round, open-topped rectangular, and conical. Modifications include optional ports for racking and cleaning, heating and cooling coils. Some manufacturers have a cooling system hidden within the walls of the tank itself; others fit cooling plates to the inside of the tanks.

Most new generation concrete tanks range in size from 500L up to 10,500L.

Many concrete tank suppliers now offer custom design options. You can create your own unique shape (within limits), include your branding in the tank walls, select from a range of outside wall concrete colours and, recently, through a US tank manufacturer you can now consider covering the outside walls of a bank of your conventionally-shaped tanks with murals. Both US manufacturers (Sonoma Cast Stone and Vino Vessel) offer the inclusion of stone or gravel from your own vineyard in the concrete mix, taking custom design to another level: “Bring us a sample of stone from your vineyard and we will incorporate it in our concrete mix to achieve a completely unique tank for your winery”.

As far as the functionality of these tanks from a winemaking perspective is concerned, concrete lies somewhere between stainless steel and oak barrels. Like stainless steel, concrete tanks are neutral containers (though some claim they can impart a mineral note into a wine, depending on the type of grape and length of exposure). One of concrete’s biggest selling points is its thick walls, effective at stabilising temperatures which is especially useful during fermentation.

W I N E M A K I N G C O N C R E T E T A N K S

Tulip-shaped eight-kilolitre tanks at Chateau Cheval Blanc, in France.

▶

Producing the perfect Grape takes time, e� ort and energy. So when yours are attacked by chewing

pests you need to strike back. DuPont™ Avatar® insecticide works with your integrated pest

management strategy to control Light brown apple moth and Grapevine moth caterpillars, Garden

weevils, European earwigs and Wingless grasshoppers. And it’s friendly to some key bene� cial bugs.

Visit www.cropprotection.dupont.com.au for more information

ALWAYS REFER TO THE LABEL BEFORE USE. Copyright © 2014 DuPont. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™ and Avatar® are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its af� liates. Du Pont (Australia) Pty Ltd. 7 Eden Park Drive, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ACN 000 716 469. All rights reserved. DUPONT0049/AV/WVJ/130x185.

Realise every precious drop.

N E W S

22 www.wine t i t l es .com.au WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 V30N5

Many of the new generation concrete tanks are moveable (using the right equipment due to their weight of course), offering far greater flexibility in winery layout changes as they are not fixed to the ground or built in-ground like many of the older generation concrete tanks.

These new generation concrete tanks are being used for fermentation and maturation of whites and reds. However, tanks used for red ferments or storage are not usually used for white fermentation or storage, similar to barrels really.

A SUMMARY OF THE ADVANTAGES OF MAKING CONCRETE WINES

This list has been collated from various sources I came across while researching this topic, including manufacturers, suppliers and winemakers:• Wines have a more expressive nose, and have been described

as being more floral, more fruit forward, more vibrant, and have a freshness that is surprising when compared with stainless steel and oak barrels.

• Wines also have a rounder mouthfeel, a more refined texture and have good mid-palate weight.

• Due to the thickness and material of the walls, concrete is a natural insulator and stabilises the temperature of whatever is inside of it, making it ideal for storing and ageing wines.

• For the same reason, fermentation is smooth and gradual without stressing yeast populations with high and low temperature spikes.

• Concrete is porous on a microscopic scale providing a small micro-oxygenation effect similar to that seen with oak, but without imparting oak flavour. It has the added bonus of avoiding the reductive conditions of stainless steel.

• Concrete doesn’t add, remove, or mask any aromas or flavours. It lets the fruit characteristics shine through, showcasing a wine’s true terroir.

• Concrete is not as porous as barrels, so regardless of shape, evaporation loss is quite small compared with barrels.

• Fermentation temperatures down to 12°C are maintained using plates or inbuilt temperature control systems.

• Concrete has no effect on the acid profile of a wine, and many winemakers are seeing no change in the pH and TA when comparing the same wines fermented and/or matured in concrete and stainless steel.

Fax fmc@fmiller.com.au

Au

stra

lian

PPrro

du

ctss

foor

Auu

sttrraa

llliian

Au

stra

lian

PPrrrooo

ddu

cttss

fffooorr A

uusss

ttrralliaa

nn

nnA

us

tralia

n P

rod

uc

ts fo

r Au

stra

lian

Win

erie

sW

Au

stra

lian

Pro

du

cts

for A

us

tralia

n W

ine

ries

us

tru

st

AAra

liiara

lliitra

Au

For more information on our wide range of products visit

Destemmers/Crusherers

There are six modelsls in

our MC Series:· MC100 10–15 tonne/ne/hr

· MC250 25–30 tonne/ne/hr

· MC400 40–50 tonne/tonne/hrhr

· MC600 50–60 tontonne/ne/hr

· MC8000 60–80 tonne/tontonne/ne/hrhr

· MC1000 80–100 tonnennenne/hr/hr

Additionally we tailor-make

Incline Drainers Membrane Presses4,500 ltr to 66,000 ltr tantank capaciy

Both closed and slotted sheshell presses

W I N E M A K I N G C O N C R E T E T A N K S

New concrete storage tanks at Chateau Beauregard, France, 2011.

V30N5 WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 www.wine t i t l es .com.au 23

N E W S

A SUMMARY OF THE DISADVANTAGES OF MAKING CONCRETE WINES

The following was also compiled from various sources, primarily from winemakers:• The cost of a concrete tank is slightly higher than the cost of a

similar sized tank made from stainless steel. And, they are a lot heavier (a 600L egg weighs 1.2 tonnes; a 1600L egg weighs 2.6 tonnes), so shipping costs are substantial, especially if you are shipping from the US or Europe to Australia.

• Concrete tanks require more work to maintain as there is the need to protect against acid corrosion with the initial application of two coats of a 30% tartaric acid solution on the internal walls. This needs to be repeated again after each tank cleaning cycle.

• High pressure washing and scrubbing needs to be avoided as it will damage the concrete.

• Care is required to keep the inside walls of empty tanks dry and aired to prevent mould or mildew growing on damp concrete.

• The outside walls of concrete tanks can be easily soiled, and the options to manage this while still retaining the porosity qualities of the concrete are limited (tank manufacturers do supply products to protect outside wall surfaces).

• Concrete is liable to crack if temperatures of the liquid inside get too high, and using hot water (

�40oC) for cleaning will

cause the stainless steel fittings to expand and possibly cause cracking in the walls around the fittings.

• Concrete is not suited to all varietal wines as shown by a study by the Geisenheim Research Centre in 2008. It was concluded that Rheingau Riesling was not well suited to an unlined concrete tank as its pH was too low. This was due to the wine itself corroding the concrete wall as the concrete tank itself did not affect the sensory properties of the Riesling.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

A tip from many winemakers using concrete tanks is that it is best to keep concrete tanks full at all times to keep the tanks ‘healthy’.

Aside from the risk of moulds growing on damp internal walls, the combination of the porosity and slight unevenness of the surface of the inside walls of the concrete tanks provides possible breeding sites for microbial contamination, such as

Brettanomyces. However, for many winemakers who have concrete tanks, concrete vessels are really no different than working with, and maintaining, oak barrels in this regard. The key, first of all, is to not have Brett in your winery to start with, then maintain proven wine production protocols that keeps Brettanomyces out.

There are a number of concrete tank manufacturers. To name a few, there are Nomblot in France, Nico Velo in Italy, and Sonoma Cast Stone and Vino Vessel in the US. They each use proprietary concrete mixes, and most tanks are ordered as unsealed inside. They all offer various tank sizes and shapes.

As far as I have been able to find out, there is only one winery in Australia, McHenry Hohnen Vintners, that has eight five-tonne concrete red fermenters. However, there are a number of wineries around Australia now using egg fermenters.

I contacted two concrete tank manufacturers and the senior winemaker at McHenry Hohnen to find out more about these large format, new generation concrete tanks.

AN AUSTRALIAN WINEMAKING PERSPECTIVE

Trent Carroll, Senior Winemaker, McHenry Hohnen Vintners, Margaret River, Western Australia

Carroll is a big fan of concrete tanks and concrete wines. McHenry Hohnen Vintners (MHV) now has eight five-tonne, burgundy-shaped, open-topped fermenters at its Margaret River winery. The first four were purchased in 2010, with the next four arriving in 2012. They are round with a round disc-shaped stainless lid. The winery also has a 600L egg which arrived with the 2010 delivery of red fermenters, and a 1000L elliptical tank that was with the second delivery of fermenters. All tanks were supplied by Nomblot, and the egg and elliptical tanks were included to fill the 40-foot containers.

C O N C R E T E T A N K S W I N E M A K I N G

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � ! � " # � $ % " & ! � ' ( " � ) � $ * + , - $ � � � . ( " � & ! �/ $ 0 1 � 2 2 3 ( - ! 4 0 . � 1 5 . � $ 6 ( � # " 0 2 - ( 1 2 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A @ B C D =/ E F G H H F I J J J 3 K K K L � � 2 . L 1 0 � L � 5M N O P P Q R S T U V W V X Y U Y W Z [ = \ ] ^ _ `a = > b c d > C D

McHenry Hohnen Vintners (MHV) five-tonne, burgundy-

shaped, open-topped concrete fermenters stand amongst the

winery’s more traditional stainless steel and oak fermentation

and storage vessels at its Margaret River winery.

▶

N E W S

24 www.wine t i t l es .com.au WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 V30N5

Carroll has undertaken trial ferments from the same batch of grapes off the same block, comparing the concrete fermenters with stainless steel, and the end results were strikingly different. “The stainless ferments were overall cold and hard in texture, and reduced, when compared with the concrete wines which were more textured and had more vibrant aromatics”.

He cold soaks his reds in the concrete which is more or less chill and leave - a huge advantage in a busy vintage as he struggles to hold cold soaks at low temperatures in stainless vessels with cooling in a warm year in Margaret River.

“There is a long, slow lag phase with the start up of ferment in concrete. The ferment temperature curve is far more even in concrete compared with stainless and the ferment only really gets hot right at the end,” he explained.

Now Carroll also uses the concrete tanks for storage, and they are full most of the year. He is also using less oak, preferring to use the concrete tanks as his maturation vessels, rather than older oak, for 10 months.

When asked about the performance of the egg compared with the elliptical tank (which is oval in shape and looks like a large flattened-out barrel), Carroll definitely prefers the elliptical for white maturation due to a much larger surface area in contact with the lees which is proving to be a significant wine quality gain in using this tank. Interestingly, Carroll is also moving away from using barrels, particularly for Marsanne and Rousanne, preferring the wine quality results that he is achieving now using this elliptical tank for fermentation and maturation to those that he was achieving through using a large format oak vat (2500L) and smaller barrels. It’s the aromatic lift and freshness of the primary fruit characters, combined with the resulting texture that are the biggest wine quality benefits in using the elliptical concrete tank compared with the vat and barrels.

Since 2013, all MHV reds have been fermented in concrete. MHV red ferment temperatures in concrete usually run at 25-28°C. Carroll doesn’t use any cooling at MHV in the concrete tanks. If ferments do get a little hot,

�30°C, they are run off into a stainless

tank and the ferment cooled down off skins before returning onto skins back in the concrete tank.

For cleaning, they use 35°C water, and a mild caustic cleaning solution followed by a tartaric acid rinse. They don’t scrub the inside walls at all. Initially, they painted one coat of 30% tartaric acid on the internal walls of each concrete tank, followed by a

second coat 24 hours later. This treatment was then repeated each time a tank was emptied, immediately after cleaning, and the tanks were left to air dry. They would then rinse the tank with water prior to filling. Now, several years on, they spray ball a 15% tartaric acid solution onto the walls to seal after cleaning rather than painting on the two coats of 30% tartaric acid.

Carroll is not sure of the expected life of his concrete tanks, and they do have the odd chip and small crack after years of use. The tanks are stored inside the winery, which he would recommend to other wineries.

He has had two issues with the concrete tanks. One is the staining on the outside of the fermenters. This is an extra cost on top of the initial purchase price to protect the outside surfaces of the concrete, and the product provided by Nomblot to seal the concrete and ensure it retains its porosity is quite expensive. There is no alternative food-grade product available that could be used instead. The other issue was with the winery's second lot of fermenters, as MHV had ordered some grates post-manufacturing. When they asked Nomblot to supply the concrete recipe to patch and fill around the grates once fitted, this was refused, and they had to use a food-grade water tank sealant to fill around the newly-fitted grates, which was not ideal but it has worked.

THE FRENCH TANK MANUFACTURER’S PERSPECTIVE

Philippe Morin (Tonnellerie D’Aquitaine), Australian Sales Representative, Nomblot Tanks

Nomblot has been making concrete wine vessels since 1922. The company produced the first concrete egg fermenter in 2001 for Michel Chapoutier. Nomblot tanks are made without using chemical additives “from washed Loire sand, gravel, non-chlorinated spring water”, and a proprietary cement mix.

As the concrete internal walls are unlined, Nomblot advises the internal surfaces must be treated with a 30% tartaric acid solution before the first use, then tested after this procedure with a further, stronger acid solution to ensure there is no reaction. Regarding maintenance, the Nomblot website suggests annually checking the condition of the gaskets and brushing the inner wall of the vats again with a 30% tartaric acid solution.

For cleaning, Nomblot recommends the use of pH basic products such as ProxyClean for cleaning: “Winemakers have been surprised to see how easy the cleaning protocols are. The concept of a concrete tank, for most people, is that it is very rough and porous, so very difficult to clean. They expect to have to use extreme measures to clean the nooks and crannies that they think are inherent to concrete. Our concrete process is a special formulation. Just make sure to properly neutralise and sanitise the bare concrete interior tank walls as per our maintenance and preparation protocol.”

When asked why Australian wineries are now using new generation concrete tanks, Morin stated, “to make better wines as the concrete tanks are used in the best wineries in Europe and the USA! From a wine quality viewpoint, concrete tanks produce much better fruit aromatics and palate intensity. Better fermentation kinetics is achieved and, let’s face it, they are used in the best wineries in the world in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone Valley, in the Napa. They are regarded now as the best fermenters for high quality wines, it’s that simple”.

Morin continues, “they are easily cleaned with a light caustic solution for the inside, followed by a tartaric wash. For the outside, we can apply a colour coating which acts as protection from stains. See the Nomblot website for colours available. If well looked after, the expected life for a concrete tank is 30 to 40 years or more.”

For cooling ferments, Morin states, “Cooling is usually not needed as they are very cool due to their thermal mass being concrete and thick walls. However, we can fit entry points for setting up cooling plates for those that require cooling as an option.”

W I N E M A K I N G C O N C R E T E T A N K S

McHenry Hohnen Vintners 1000L elliptical tank which it

purchased from Nomblot, in France. Winemaker Trent Carroll

prefers the elliptical vessel over its egg fermenter for the

maturation of whites due to a much larger surface area in

contact with the lees which is proving to be a significant wine

quality gain in using this tank.

V30N5 WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 www.wine t i t l es .com.au 25

N E W S

From a cost-of-production viewpoint, there are benefits aside from wine quality that concrete has over stainless. One is “less or no energy is needed to cool them down and, most importantly, the ferment is slower and more even in temperature so cooling is not really needed. Also, they are fantastic storage maturation tanks as well.”

When asked how many wineries across Australia are now using Nomblot concrete tanks, Morin replied that he didn’t have a breakdown by states, or by tank, but, “most were the oval-shaped ‘egg’ tanks and burgundy fermenters. Since 2008 when I started importing them, I have been receiving enquiries each year from winemakers interested in purchasing a concrete tank.”

Morin stated there were several misconceptions about concrete tanks amongst Australian winemakers which has affected the uptake in many wineries. First, the feedback that he receives from many winemakers is that they regard using concrete fermenters and storage vessels as negatives from both a production management viewpoint and a wine quality viewpoint due to their experiences with them over the years. “Their mind is closed about concrete tanks,” he said. In regards to the Nomblot concrete tanks Morin continues, “The Nomblot tanks do not need wax and are used unsealed. Why do all the Chateaux in Bordeaux or in Napa Valley have them? Surely concrete must be right otherwise they would not use them. All of the Burgundy properties use them too, and this is where the tanks are manufactured. The Australian winemakers who do a vintage overseas are the ones who call me when they come back because they like working with the concrete tanks.”

The second misconception regards cleaning, with many winemakers believing they are harder to keep clean. “As I previously explained, they are not. On the contrary, it’s easy to look after them, and if they are empty then let the air flow through, simple!”

The third misconception, Morin states, is that, “the concrete gives wine a particular taste, which is not true. These comments come from those who have not worked with these tanks.”

A US TANK MANUFACTURER’S PERSPECTIVE

Steve Rosenblatt, Sonoma Cast Stone

In the US it seems the interest in new generation concrete tanks took off slowly because the tanks were only produced in Europe, and shipping costs made them cost-prohibitive for many wineries. That changed in 2007 when two Californian companies added concrete winemaking vessels to their production.

This change came about from the grassroots, so to speak - the winemakers themselves wanting to use concrete tanks to make their wines and source them at a more reasonable price. These wineries approached two concrete companies who each had some interest in the wine industry.

Micah Utter, of Vino Vessel (www.vinovessel.com), has been in the concrete industry for 12 years and being based in Paso Robles, in the Napa, resulted in him readily becoming involved in the making of concrete wine tanks. He founded the Vino Vessel branch of his business in 2007.

Sonoma Cast Stone’s Steve Rosenblatt owns a vineyard in Sonoma and has a successful business designing and making sleek, modern, concrete countertops, sinks and baths. Sonoma Cast Stone added winemaking vessels to its production in 2010.

Rosenblatt continues, “Our 20-year-old company, Sonoma Cast Stone, has been making concrete wine tanks for the past eight years. The two most popular tanks are the egg and the amphora, followed by one of the three conicals.”

C O N C R E T E T A N K S W I N E M A K I N G

The clear choice

in fi ltration

e f g h i h j k l m n o p q r s t r u e v q s t p vw w x y z z { | } ~ � }w w � � � � r n o � v q s � � � � � r n

McHenry Hohnen Vintners winemaker Trent Carroll has performed trial ferments using the same batch of grapes from the same

block and compared the concrete fermenters with stainless steel, and says the end results were strikingly different.

▶

N E W S

26 www.wine t i t l es .com.au WINE & VITICULTURE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 V30N5

Rosenblatt continues, “The prices shown are for the basic machine. Generally, there are approximately a further $3000 to $4000 (AUD) in additional costs with selected options and shipping. Overall, concrete tanks are more expensive than stainless steel.” Prices of some of the Sonoma Cast Stone tanks in AUD are:

Tea cup – 750 litres open tank, $7500Amphora – 1200 litres, $11,800Egg shape – 1800 litres, $15,200Small conical – 3500 litres, $17,000Large conical – 4200 litres, $21,100Truncated square – 8300 litres, $50,1000When asked about export, Rosenblatt replied, “We regularly

export to Europe, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Uruguay and, yes, a few to Australia and New Zealand.”

I had been wondering how both the tartaric acid treatment to seal the internal walls and the wine pH doesn’t cause concrete pitting long term on the internal walls. Rosenblatt replied, “Our tanks differ from all others in that we make a ‘sandwich’ of concrete. The ‘shell’ is made of a proprietary one-inch coat of a fibrecasting formula. Since this shell never touches the wine, we can make it in any colour and embed winery logos into the surface. This shell provides all of the strength of the tank. Our tanks, and only our tanks are guaranteed to not crack or leak for at least 10 years. After casting the shell, we wind a glycol tube every four inches over the entire surface of the tank. To our knowledge, our concrete tanks are the only tanks that have embedded glycol tubing to keep exact temperature. The last step involves a wet casting of very conventional sand, aggregate, portland cement and water mix, without any additives. We could, and in a few years will, provide an even tighter surface concrete. The answer to the second part of this question is, yes, the wine does erode the surface of the tank. The wine eventually dissolves the portland cement portion of this formula and rarely goes any further. This exchange, many believe, gives the wine that healthy ‘mineral feel’.

With regard to cleaning, “Any commercial cleaner can be used. Often only water and a soft brush will remove the accumulated surface. Owners are advised to not use steam or excessively hot water that could shock the tank surface. Other than that they are very easy to clean. If the tank is being left empty for a while between fills, the tanks should be left open to avoid any mould build up. They should be lightly washed prior to a future start-up. The best way to maintain the concrete tank and ensure a long life is, after use, clean and dry. During use, be careful not to overflow and spill on the outer surface.”

For protecting the outside walls, Rosenblatt states, “We use a proprietary material to maintain the surface. It is a common mistake to think that the concrete ‘breathes’ and that there is any oxygen exchange. The oxygenation comes from within the pores of the concrete left over by the evaporation of water used in the mix. We have done several tests and are certain that oxygen does not drift through the thick concrete walls.”

When asked as to why winemakers use concrete tanks in the US, Rosenblatt states, “The two major reasons for the use of concrete are greatly improved wine and the stunning look of well-made tanks in a winery open to the public. There are clearly thermal advantages and the broader mouthfeel given off by the added minerality. They cost more, but 70-80% of the fine wines of Europe are made in concrete and a good 50% in America. A poll taken on 4 March 2015 at a Wine Business Monthly seminar on the results from a 400 winemaker tasting showed that 80%+ preferred wine made in concrete over the same wine made in either oak or stainless steel.

“With over 400 tanks now in service only two were exposed to full strength tartaric acid for a weekend. The heavy pitted

surface was re-surfaced in our factory. None of our tanks have cracked or leaked because of the manner that we make them."

If a winery wished to install a new tank valve or fittings of some kind into the tank, this is not possible as Rosenblatt says, “Installing after-thought plumbing would not be possible as the chances of damaging the glycol tubing are too great.”

Sonoma Cast Stone generates about half its increased sales from re-orders. “The wine industry communicates well and successful stories help greatly in selling to new customers. Beer and wine tank sales now account for about 45% of our market.”

Rosenblatt concludes with, “We are pleased to see such in-depth attention paid to concrete fermentation tanks. Next to come for us (by December) is our line of concrete ageing and storing ‘barrel’ tanks. Stay tuned!”

CONCLUSIONS

Most winemakers that I know are always looking for ways to continually improve and tweak the quality of their wines. Once you are making good, sound, high quality wines, those extra small quality improvements become harder to achieve without some extra tools or equipment, and the new generation concrete wine tanks are an option to seriously consider. They are expensive when compared with stainless steel, but if your wine quality improves significantly and you are able to ask more for your bottle of wine, then the return on your initial investment will start paying for itself. As a blending option, they would be very valuable.

If there are enough Australian winemakers out there wanting to access better-priced new generation concrete tanks, then maybe take a lead from the US winemakers and seek out a local company currently in the concrete business, with an interest and drive to start producing these tanks for the local industry at more competitive prices.

For suppliers of these tanks into Australia, a suggestion would be to organise tastings of concrete wines versus those in stainless steel to open up the minds of winemakers in Australia to the possibilities of using new generation concrete tanks. The proof is always in the pudding and in my opinion as a winemaker, we always respond well to seeing and tasting the differences ourselves. I will look forward to be being invited, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, to a tasting such as this one organised in the Napa at Mondavi in March this year: http://www.concretewinetanks.com/concrete-tank-features.html

The end result of using new generation concrete tanks is very positive, apart from the tank maintenance issues such as sealing with tartaric acid, which wouldn’t be too easy with some of the concrete shapes on offer. But, these small inconveniences may be far outweighed by the positive wine quality benefits of making concrete wines as a blending option to have in our winemaking kit bag.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Concrete tank manufacturers

France: Nomblot (www.wine-tanks.com)USA: Sonoma Cast Stone (www.concretewinetanks.com)

and Vino Vessel (www.vinovessel.com)Italy: Nico Velo (www.winetanks.eu).

Cathy Howard is winemaker and, together with husband Neil, proprietor of Whicher Ridge Wines, near Busselton Western Australia, and has been making wine for more than 20 years. She also consults part time to some wineries in the Geographe region.

W I N E M A K I N G C O N C R E T E T A N K S

WVJ