Description
Red wine ferments on its skins, and that changes what the tank has to do. You need headspace for the cap to rise, an opening wide enough to punch down or pump over, and enough cooling surface to pull the must down several degrees within a few hours after a warm fermentation peak. The 1000L to 5000L tanks we build are sized around those three jobs, not around a catalog number.
Fabrication details
Vessels are 304 stainless as standard; 316L is available when the must carries high chloride or the tank will double as finished-wine storage. Sheet thickness runs 2.0–3.0 mm depending on diameter. Interior welds are TIG, argon purged, ground and polished to Ra ≤ 0.8 µm, with a No. 4 brushed exterior. Every jacket seam gets dye-penetrant tested before insulation goes on, because a leak found after the tank is foamed and skinned is an expensive repair.
Cooling jacket sizing
A dimple-plate jacket on the side wall handles most maceration work; a bottom section is added for cold stabilization. Glycol enters low and exits high, which keeps the jacket flooded and avoids trapped air. We size jacket area at roughly 1.2–1.5 m² per 1000L when the winery needs a fast drop. If the cellar only holds 18 °C, less area is fine and chiller load drops with it.
Hardware
- Forklift pockets welded into the base frame, so an empty 2000L tank moves between crush pad and barrel room without a crane.
- Adjustable support legs with leveling feet for sloped floors.
- Top manway, racking port, sample valve, thermowell, CIP spray ball and tri-clamp fittings.
Specifications
| Model | Nominal volume | Jacket area | Manway |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT-1000 | 1000 L | 1.5 m² | 400 mm |
| FT-2000 | 2000 L | 2.6 m² | 400 mm |
| FT-3000 | 3000 L | 3.8 m² | 450 mm |
| FT-5000 | 5000 L | 6.0 m² | 450 mm |
Questions we get before quoting
Can the tank be pressurized?
Standard builds are atmospheric with a vent or airlock. For inert gas sparging or closed fermentation we build to 0.5–1.0 bar working pressure with a relief valve and sanitary gauge. Higher than that needs a different shell and a certified relief device, so tell us the target pressure early.
Glycol or chilled water?
Chilled water at 7 °C holds temperature in a cool cellar but rarely pulls a 30 °C must down quickly. Most red programs run glycol at -5 to 0 °C.
How full should I fill it?
Plan on 70–75% working fill for red fermentation. A 3000L tank realistically ferments about 2200L of must.
Tell us your batch size, varietal, number of tanks and available floor space. We can recommend tank volume, jacket area and configuration for your cellar.
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