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Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

Feature Story

A Look at New Fermentation Equipment

New Toys for Modern Wineries

Story by Laura Ness

definitely toward machines that answer to the command of the winemaker, allowing the simulation of loving human hands without so much physical labor involved.
In general, presses are getting bigger, yet, in some cases, they're getting smaller. Sorting tables now vibrate, have holes in all the right places to help automate the removal of rejects, and are generally becoming more streamlined, simpler to use and easier to clean. Crusher-destemmers are becoming more decoupled, with an emphasis on destemming, in the quest to preserve more whole clusters. Tanks are becoming more multi-functional, more versatile and even more beautiful. Fermenters are increasingly Gemini-like in personality: a fermenter at harvest, a storage vessel during the winter and spring.

Some of the equipment makers interviewed for this article specifically stated that their clients are seeking processing lines that can increase the quality result of fruit being crushed while at the same time reducing the number of people needed. They seek hands-on results with fewer hands on. This is especially true in the case of boutique wineries where just a few folks are knocking themselves out to get the job done faster, better and more efficiently.

GOING FOR GENTLE: SIMULATING THE DAYS OF YORE
Chris Donatiello of Donatiello Winery is in the midst of a total remodel of his roughly 20,000-case winery outside of Healdsburg. He and winemaker Troy McEnery were looking for processing equipment that harkened back to McEnery's home winemaking days: a time with lots of hands-on everything and little mechanical interference. So they specifically shopped for crusher-destemmers, sorting tables and presses that would give them the greatest control over the sorting and crushing process. Their equipment includes a Bucher Delta E1 destemmer, two Bucher vibrating sorting tables, and a JLB 12 basket press for the reds. They chose the Bucher equipment (from KLR Machines) because, McEnery says, these French products had the best build quality, and they liked the way grapes moved across the smooth stainless steel. "With Bucher, grapes touch the right surfaces, and not the wrong ones," says McEnery. Good design also means easy to clean. "If you don't want to lick it, you don't want grapes touching it," he adds.

Since the winery has two labels, one with about 15,000 cases per year and one with very small lots of vineyard designates, Donatiello and McEnery initially thought that having the Delta E2 destemmer with variable speed and higher processing capacity would help them do both crushing for the whites (at up to 15 tons per hour) and destemming for whole clusters on the pinot noir at around 5 tons per hour. It turns out they really needed to slow the pinot processing to about 2 tons per hour to properly sort and destem. "Receiving drives the bus," says Donatiello. "The sorting tables are critical. We want to see every single cluster," adds McEnery. "We want the highest level of quality control, with minimal staff."

Carlsen & Associates' Jon Johnson says that winemakers increasingly want more control over their sorting processes, more control over pressing, and overall more efficiency. "You start with good fruit, minimize handling, minimize the number of people. But if you have ‘problem fruit' that wasn't sorted in the field, then you need more people to sort, even after destemming. This requires the latest in destemming equipment." Carlsen & Associates custom-builds processing lines using Puleo equipment, with domestically available parts.

PRESSING NEEDS
The company also specializes in basket presses, mostly for reds. "They are extremely popular," Johnson says. "We build the presses completely here in California. With the Carlsen 8HL, you can load, press and dump 2.25 field tons in less than 30 minutes. It's perfect for small lots, and for small wineries," says Johnson, whose customer list includes Betz Family, Three Sticks and Villa Creek wineries. Carlsen is the only American manufacturer of basket presses, and the fact that the controls are domestic and can be easily repaired, led Johnson to conclude, "Good service keeps us in business."

Don Van Stavern from Three Sticks primarily focuses on pinot noir. He chose a Carlsen basket press after carefully evaluating all the options. "It's gentle, yields high quality juice, it's fairly priced, and my experience with Carlsen's service, which is primo, made this an easy decision." He also just purchased a small Puleo bladder press, after talking to other Puleo users who raved about how simple it is to use, how easy it is to clean and how portable it is-especially in small spaces. Van Stavern also gives points to Carlsen for its custom racking tubs and sorting tables: "I make sketches and they manufacture." He is also a big fan of the new Delta E1 destemmer, with variable frequency drive, which, he says, is ideal for whole berry fermentation.

Greg La Follette of DeLoach Winery and Tandem Winery has lots of experience in "test-driving" new equipment. While at Beaulieu, La Follette was the first winemaker in California to buy a JLB basket press. He's been a JLB fan ever since and now has the new JLB 40HL model, along with a brand new Bucher membrane press, model XPF 80, all purchased from KLR Machines. Capable of holding about 5.5 tons/load of whole cluster, this Bucher press is computer controlled, with the ability to use presets, as well as to set your own programs.

Even so, La Follette describes himself as a retro winemaker who stands there constantly taking samples, measuring pH, and then deciding when to stop. "I can't get past the notion that you have to be physically there for each press run," he says. La Follette has two Armbruster Robo-Vib destemmers from Scott Laboratories, noting that increasingly, pinot winemakers are not crushing, so they buy destemmers rather than crusher/destemmers. He says he chose the Armbrusters because of their excellent whole berry action, along with their ability to change pitch and speed. Plus, he notes, the service is excellent.

Jim Schultze of Windy Oaks, in Corralitos, CA, is a careful shopper. An engineer by trade, he analyzes everything in ways that many wouldn't. One of his most significant investments of the past two years was a computer-controlled Vaslin-Bucher JLB5 basket press, which he purchased from KLR Machines. Schultze, who processes only pinot through the press, notes, "The basket press has significant advantages. I previously had a Wilmes SS bladder press. I have found the basket press to have a number of benefits over the old press. First and foremost is the oenological quality of the press juice. Ninety-five percent of the juice is filtered down through the cake of skins-this extracts additional skin components as well as filtering out the gross lees. I can then go directly into barrel without filtering. Also, I can continuously monitor the quality of the juice and stop it at any point."

Since he often sails solo in the cellar, Schultze made a few minor modifications to the press, which allow him to fill and empty it by himself if no one is available to help with the pressing. "I also developed my own PLC program for the press, which goes through seven gentle press cycles, lasting about an hour," he says. "During the press cycles the juice flows by gravity into a custom tank, which is continuously blanketed with argon, minimizing any oxygen exposure during the long cycle. I can leave the press unattended if necessary, and return whenever convenient. So, on average I would say that I have a 60-plus-percent labor savings with the new press, with much better control over the press juice and a much higher quality juice. It is perfectly sized for my one-ton fermenters."

Basket presses aren't everyone's first choice. Winemaker Michael Levin, who has worked for Kendall-Jackson and was the BV Coastal winemaker, purchased much of the equipment for his 10,000-case operation from Valley Pipe & Supply-including a new membrane press. He chose the Defranceschi 40HL membrane press because it serves as a dual purpose press for both whites and reds, has the capacity to press the must of up to 10 tons of red grapes, and is infinitely variable. With the ability to store up to 20 programs, Levin can create and select many different regimes for each type of grape he is pressing. He likes the user interface and can easily reset the computer to suit each batch. With the ability to press about 20 tons per hour, he can practically do his entire harvest in a day. Because he does a lot of whole berry fermentation, fruit goes from his destemmer straight to the bin, so no fruit is ever pumped.

Dane Stark (pictured above)of Livermore's Page Mill Winery says his new processing equipment-including a new membrane press from Valley Pipe & Supply-has literally changed his life. "For 28 years, we used a one-ton Rolex basket press," he says. "It was a wonderful and gentle press. But the whole process literally broke my back. Bucketing must by hand and pitchforking the pomace was grueling." In 2005, he crushed 55 tons and at the same time, compressed two spinal discs. When Stark moved to Livermore in 2006, he decided to get new equipment, and chose a Defranceschi JP 22HL membrane press to take over the manual labor. "This is truly a wonderful piece of equipment," Stark says. "You load half-ton bins using a forklift and you get better yields, cleaner juices and lower solids. When I used to crush four tons, it took four hours to crush, then four hours to press-a huge amount of manual labor. Now, I load 2.25 tons in 15 minutes, and go take acid measurements. Literally, this press frees me up so I can carry out my winemaking duties. It improves the wine quality, while reducing the overall start to finish time by 75 percent. Most importantly, it reduces manual labor (that would be me), by 85 percent."

TANKS: A LOT MORE FUNCTIONAL
Most everyone wants new tanks, with chillers and heaters, surfaces and designs that are easier to clean, and the ability to pressurize them with gas. And thanks to the euro, more attention is being paid to tanks for fermenting, as new barrels purchases are put on hold.

According to Bruce Felix from Pacific Winemaking, LLC, in Carlton, Oregon, "Winery tank construction is getting more specialized. Traditional European suppliers plagued with the high euro and increasing competition from Eastern Europe and China and moving into tailor-making to client requirements," he says. "Algor srl, a new supplier of tanks to the USA through Pacific Winemaking, uses innovative tank surfaces for heating and cooling jackets. For example, putting a jacket on the bottom of the tank allows more thorough transfer of cold and heat. Also, this allows for more robust and easy placement of insulation around the outside of the tank."

Dr. Ricardo Aguirre, of Livermore's Bodegas Aguirre, enthused about his new chiller/heater. "Last year I bought a new Kreyer 4-ton German-made chiller and heater that worked great to ferment my Carneros chardonnay," he says. "It allowed me to do it very slowly. It took 28 days to bring it down to 12 brix, then finished fermentation in French oak barrels. I warmed it up to start malolactic, and so far I am thrilled with the results. The Kreyer has casters and is easy to move around."

Tanks are also becoming more multifunctional. Algor has several models that integrate pump-over technology into fixed lid insulated stainless tanks. Using multifunctional inlets through the lid, pump-overs and broadcasting of the juice over the cap can also be used for a CIP system in the tank. Integration of controls to pumps with temperature management and timers makes a more automatic system for winemakers to use. Space- and energy-saving designs are also trends for new winery tanks. Multiple-chambered tanks stacked together allow reduced surface area (saving energy), and floor space (reducing process area requirements). They also provide labor saving automation to make the winemaker's life easier.

TRICK TANKS FOR FERMENTING AND TOPPING
Bill Brousseau, winemaker at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos, CA, says they are "clean freaks," doing everything possible to avoid contamination in the winery. With over 20,000 cases being produced there each year, there are plenty of opportunities to introduce a problem and spread it virally. So Brousseau asked Silver State Steel of Nevada to make him a custom tank that could be used both for fermentation and for barrel topping. The inspiration came from brew pub tanks that have concave tops and bottoms. This trick tank, which he dubbed the "space capsule," has both a heat jacket and cooling mechanism, so it can be used for fermentation during harvest, and then when wines are safely in barrels, it takes over as the official topping machine for the larger lots of pinot noir. Equipped with a pressurization system that can go up to 10 psi, it gets filled with argon, then the topping wine is added, then topped off with more gas. A filler hose with gun is attached to simplify the rather arduous task of topping off 300 barrels' worth of pinot. An earlier version of the tank also built by Nevada-based Silver State was designed to be lifted by electric pallet jack and is primarily used for blending and for settling prior to bottling.

There are far more stock tanks being snapped up than custom tanks: The good custom designs make their way to greater production. Quality Stainless Tanks in Santa Rosa formerly specialized in custom fabrication, but eventually realized the custom fabrication guys had a lot of free time. They'd be busting their butts during the early part of the year when wineries were forecasting their needs, says Quality Stainless sales director Scott Dapelo, but then summer would come and the industry would shut down and fabricators would be out of work. Suddenly, toward harvest, winemakers would be scrambling for more tanks to handle the larger crop loads and would be out of luck.

To resolve the issue, the company decided to go into the stock tank business in the off-season. "We took a leap of faith, but the concept has exploded," Dapelo says. "We are in the instant gratification business. We're good listeners and have come up with some really popular portable tanks that are cylindrical. Square tanks are not set up to be as portable, plus they are harder to clean. Cylinders are very durable-one of the strongest forms in nature, and they have no nooks and crannies to worry about. The 500-gallon Crescendo is our third version and is great for small lot fermentation and storage." The tank has top and bottom doors: tilt it forward and the must falls out. Plus it can be used for barrel topping and transportation, as well as for gravity feed into a bottling line. They all have jackets for cooling and heating and can be fully jacketed.

SORTING THROUGH SORTING TABLES
Bill Keever of Keever Vineyards in Sonoma has a gravity-feed setup that takes advantage of a mezzanine outfitted with two Vaucher-Beguet stainless steel sorting tables. Grapes are dumped into a hopper that is lifted to the mezzanine where they go onto a state-of-the-art vibrating sorting table with slots in the base to allow MOG to drop through. The first table is for whole cluster sorting; it then goes to the Puleo Vega 10 crusher/destemmer, where the rollers are so far apart that the fruit is not really crushed.

Keever is extremely pleased with the Puleo, which he says delivers much better performance than his previous machine. "We get three times the number of whole berries with the Puleo Vega," he notes.

Whole clusters are so important to Keever that he is using lugs for his cabernet instead of half-ton fermenters. With 30 lugs on a pallet, they can be rolled gently onto the first sorting table, preserving their juicy integrity. The fruit then goes onto a second sorting table, where eight people remove leaves and stem jacks. The result, says Keever, is a "gorgeous waterfall of pure fruit," that cascades down through a hole in the floor framed by a stainless steel jacket into the waiting portable fermentation tanks below. They are moved with electric pallet jacks when full. These tanks, made by Westec Tanks (Healdsburg, CA), range from 550 to 1,100 gallons and are outfitted with short legs. They have a cross-bar system that enables them to be easily moved with a pallet jack. During racking, the tanks are moved to the barrel cave, where the barrels have been undisturbed for three months. "Many wineries move wine to tanks," Keever says, "but here, we move the tanks to the wine. We don't jostle the sediment, which means our wine is very clean."

Bradley Brown of Big Basin Vineyards in Boulder Creek, CA, has mostly new equipment, and is looking at more. He describes his setup: "We destem whole berry directly into our 1-plus-ton fermenters using a Delta E1, and sort clusters on a sloping table (fabricated by Fabrication Effects in Watsonville) to feed it steadily. The ability to fine tune the unit-speed, hole size, height from screen, angle of screen, angle of paddles-allows us to get whole intact berries with minimal jacks." Brown says he is considering buying a P&L Specialties LT Sorter. "The sorter allows you to sort after destemming to remove all stem material, shot berries, pips, insects and dessicated berries."

Big Basin's press is a programmable Europress EHP18, which he purchased from EuroMachines. "I chose this press because it came recommended highly by John Alban of Alban Vineyards and was being used by Sin Qua Non," Brown says. "Programmability, the ability to press in many steps and control the number of rotations allows for very gentle pressing."

Laura Ness is a long-time Santa Cruz Mountains resident who enjoys writing about wines with character and the characters who make them. She covers the Santa Cruz Mountains, Livermore, and Paso Robles for appellationamerica.com, teaches a "meet the winemakers" class at DeAnza College, and writes a wine column for the weekly papers serving the Silicon Valley.