Double-Wall Jacketed Red Wine Fermenters, 5000–16000 L

Red fermentation moves fast. In the first two or three days of active fermentation, must temperature inside a 12000 L tank can climb 4–6 °C per day if nothing pulls heat out of it. Punch-downs and pump-overs mix the cap, but they don\’t remove heat. A dimple jacket on the cone and lower cylinder does.

We build these in 5000, 6000, 8000, 12000 and 16000 L, and the jacket area is scaled to each volume instead of being reused across the range. That detail decides whether a tank holds fermentation temperature in a cold cellar and still holds it in September.

Materials and fabrication

Wine must is acidic but not aggressive, so 304 is the usual choice for the shell and jacket. We switch to 316L when the cooling water carries high chloride, or when the tank is also used for juice treated with heavier SO2 and chlorinated CIP cycles. Interior welds are ground flush and passivated; standard internal finish is 2B, with an optional polished finish for tanks that see a lot of lees contact.

Jackets are dimple-formed on the lower cylinder and cone, split into two or three independently fed zones so you can cool the cone harder than the upper body. Insulation is 80–100 mm polyurethane under stainless cladding — cladding rather than a painted shell, because cellar washdown is constant.

Fittings we fit as standard

• Top manway, 400–450 mm, hinged with a clamp
• CIP spray ball and separate vent or pressure-relief port
• Thermowell at mid-liquid level, plus a second port near the jacket outlet
• Racking arm with butterfly valve, bottom drain with DIN or tri-clamp outlet
• Sample valve and an inert-gas inlet for closed fermentation or blanketing

Technical specifications

FAQ

Is the tank pressure rated? Standard shells vent to atmosphere. If you plan closed fermentation, sparging, or pushing wine with gas, tell us — we build those shells to 0.5–1.0 bar with a certified relief valve.

How much cooling do I need? Size the chiller on the peak heat load of the largest tank, not the total cellar volume. A 16000 L red ferment at 30 °C must can pull 8–10 kW on its own.

Can one tank handle red and white? Yes, but white ferments run colder, so check jacket surface area against the coldest setpoint you need, not just the red profile.

How is CIP done? Spray ball at the top, drain open, return line back to the caustic tank. Racking arms and valves need manual removal every few cycles — biofilm hides there.

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