A 1500 L tank usually shows up in the middle of a winery\’s growth curve: too large for a trial lot, too small to justify its own chiller. Most cellars we build run two or three of them side by side on a shared glycol loop, and that one detail shapes the jacket design more than the nominal volume does.

We roll the shell from 304 stainless, 3 mm on the body and 2 mm on the dished ends, and move to 316L when the customer is holding high-acid must, fruit wine, or a lot that stays on lees for months. Internal welds are ground flush and the wetted surface is pickled and passivated to roughly 0.4–0.6 µm Ra. That finish is what keeps tartrate and protein deposits from taking hold during cold stabilization, and it is the first thing to check when a tank arrives on site.

The cooling jacket is dimple plate, welded to the lower third of the shell and sized so a full 1500 L batch drops from 20 °C to 5 °C overnight on 4–6 °C glycol. Customers running a wider chiller spread sometimes ask for half-pipe instead; it costs more and holds more refrigerant volume, so it only pays off when the temperature differential is large. Insulation is 50 mm polyurethane under 1.5 mm stainless cladding, which also keeps condensation off the cellar floor in humid rooms.

Standard fittings include a 400 mm top manway, CIP spray ball, 1.5 in. sample valve, dial thermometer, racking arm, 2 in. bottom outlet with butterfly valve, level gauge, and adjustable legs. Pump-over ports, extra thermowells, and must-chiller connections are added at the drawing stage, not after fabrication — welding a nozzle onto a finished jacket means re-insulating the whole shell.

Specifications

Questions we get before quoting

Three 1500 L tanks or one 4500 L? Three small tanks give you blending flexibility and let you cold-stabilize one lot while another finishes fermentation. One large tank is cheaper per liter and easier to clean. If you bottle more than four varietals, go small.

Is 316L necessary? For grape wine held under six months, 304 is fine. For fruit wine, high-acid must, or long-term storage, the extra cost of 316L is worth it.

Does the jacket need a pressure rating? The tank body stays vented through the airlock; the jacket is the pressurized side and is hydro-tested before shipment.

Can CIP be automated later? Yes, if the spray ball and drain slope are specified now. Retrofitting a slope is not practical.

Tell us your batch size, wine type, number of tanks, and available floor space. We can recommend the tank volume, cooling area, and configuration for your cellar.