The basis of a quality wine is, above all, good grapes. However, the professional skill, skill and individual approach of the winemaker, but last but not least the use of the advantages of modern technological equipment, play a significant role in its formation. Although everyone has a choice from a wide range of companies of different provenance, the winemaker often looks for tailor-made technological equipment. Often it is the idea of a perfect cellar that will at the same time harmonise with the existing processing facilities used for wine production by generations of his ancestors. IDD Bratislava - an engineering and supply cooperative - has been satisfying even the most demanding requirements of wine producers for more than two decades. We focused on the services provided to customers - winemakers - in an interview with the managing director of the company Ing. Anton Hrdličko and the manager of the company Sabina Barborjak - Galeková.
You've been in the winemaking business for a long time. What motivated you to start your own business in this area?
A. Hrdlička: I have been in the wine business practically all my professional life. First as a development engineer in a production company, then as a designer. I participated in the design of winery plants throughout the former Czechoslovak Republic, which gave me a detailed knowledge of the issues of grape processing and wine production. After 1989, the conditions in this sector also changed fundamentally. Alongside the large privatised wineries, smaller and smaller operations began to be set up by a newly emerging class of entrepreneurs. This sector had specific requirements for production facilities. At the same time, innovative grape-processing technologies were coming along, to which the technological equipment manufacturers of the time, especially for the requirements of smaller wine producers, were not able to respond flexibly enough. This fact motivated me to create a production company that would concentrate on the production of equipment for new winemaking technologies, in addition to being manufactured using modern, progressive stainless steel processing methods.
S. Barborjak - Galeková: In my case, it was just supposed to be a summer "assembly" job at my father's company. After the summer was over and I found out that our work was specific, creative, interesting and I enjoyed it immensely, the temporary job turned into an indefinite one. I was also intrigued by the daily contact with goal-oriented and optimistic people, which winemakers undoubtedly are, and by the fact that I could be of at least a small help in the production of quality wine.
Based on your extensive experience in the beverage industry, you can afford to give advice: What must a good winemaker not forget when building a cellar?
A. Hrdlička: A good winemaker, oriented towards the production of quality wines, must remember when building his business that the equipment he buys today will have to serve him for several years or decades. A purchase made now is an important long-term investment that must be approached very rationally - focusing on modernity, progressiveness and, above all, the quality of the equipment being bought. Before buying, familiarise yourself with the equipment perfectly, down to the smallest detail. Our company supports this approach and we are fully available to advise and pass on our experience to our customers when they are considering building a cellar.
S. Barborjak - Galeková: Based on my experience so far, I can say that when buying machinery and equipment for grape and wine processing, the winemaker no longer looks only at the price, but above all at the quality. After all, wine production in Slovakia is also no longer just about quantity. The first thing I personally notice in a winemaker is hygiene, which we also place particular emphasis on in the production of our equipment - so that the customer can sanitise it effortlessly and perfectly. And hygiene should be a priority in any cellar management.
Your current product range and complexity of services shows your orientation towards large wine companies alongside small producers, while you have to face relatively stiff competition.
A. Hrdlička: At present, our production focuses on three main areas of production: equipment for the primary processing of grapes (receiving hoppers, straining tanks, etc.), fermentation and storage tanks, a control systems for the controlled fermentation of must. It can be said that as the number of wineries grows, so does our business. For the start-up entrepreneur, for whom we have produced small capacity equipment in the past, we are now producing complex large equipment. If a customer has been satisfied with our quality in the past, chances are they will turn to us again. This creates a bond of mutual trust, which is a prerequisite for further expanding business relationships.
S. Barborjak - Galeková: I am pleased that both smaller winemakers and large wineries have found their way to us, also if the customer is satisfied with every product delivered by us, of any value.
The competition is in some cases more than fierce. However, if it is serious competition, it must be respected. But I cannot help remembering that, just as winemakers are trying to sell Slovak wine in Slovakia and persuade people to buy it, we must do the same to educate winemakers and prove that our work is just as good as foreign work.
What are the advantages and specifics of your equipment, i.e. why do manufacturers order equipment from you?
S. Barborjak - Galeková: I try to approach each customer personally, take into account their needs and requirements and offer them, in my opinion, the most ideal product for them. I think this is the reason why customers choose our company.
A. Hrdlička: The number of winemakers who put quality at the heart of their winemaking philosophy continues to grow. However, a quality product can only be produced on quality equipment. This is where the focus of our efforts and our success lies - an uncompromising approach to the choice of materials or the perfect workmanship of details, optimal design solutions, e.g. for fermentation and storage tanks: solid and stable design, perfect mirror surface, possibility of complete venting and emptying, internal space without corners and corners, easy cleaning and disinfection. Our marketing priority is close, virtually continuous contact with our customers, so that we get to know their specific requirements in detail and can respond to them more flexibly and with greater knowledge than our competitors.
There are many companies in Europe that manufacture equipment for the wine industry. It is very interesting to see how products for the same purpose differ significantly from different manufacturers. Here, various factors play a role: tradition, design philosophy, pricing factors and the method of production - piece, small batch or series - so that winemakers really have a lot of choice. Our basic production and sales philosophy is that we want to offer our customers products with the characteristics that one of our customers from Germany described: you can see that the product has been 'mit Liebe gemacht' - made with love. This means a functional and progressive design realised using modern production methods, with attention to detail.
When making wine, it is very important to monitor and regulate the temperature of the fermented must. This is where fermentation vessels play an essential role.
A. Hrdlička: Temperature control during fermentation is still an issue and only in recent years have winemakers been convinced that the issue of temperature control during fermentation is beyond any discussion. We were at the birth of this technology in our country and we are working very intensively in this area today, for example on the control of the fermentation process based on monitoring the amount of fermentation gases produced. It goes without saying that these technologies require fermentation vessels equipped with a cooling jacket or cooling plates that are installed inside the vessels. Our company offers fermentation tanks for both of these systems in a wide range of volumes - from 50 to 6300 litres. We produce cooling plates in different designs and in large series.
S. Barborjak - Galeková: However, I often come across the argument that it is only a fermentation tank. It is not 'just' a tank. A poorly made tank can spoil your wine; at best, you will spend incomparably more time sanitizing it - if that is even possible. The ideally shaped bottom and lid, the weld machining not only on the outside but above all on the inside, the moulded door, the type of fittings and their welding system, these are the main things we have to draw customers' attention to when competing.
However, automation is also coming - the process of making the production process almost human-free. Is it possible to exclude this important factor in the birth of wine? After all, without the winemaker's handwriting, the wine will lose its distinctive character...
S. Barborjak - Galeková: Personality is, in my opinion, one of the most important factors in winemaking. On the other hand, automation is essential in some processes, and our company also supplies such systems - for example in the controlled fermentation of musts, which are fully automated. We introduced them to the readers of Vine and Wine magazine in issue No. 1 of the 2009 edition.
A. Hrdlička: The importance of the winemaker's individuality factor is not diminished by the introduction of automation and computer technology, but on the contrary, it is increased by the fact that the winemaker has the opportunity to "shape" the course of the fermentation phase, which is one of the most important stages in the production of wine - by programming it. This is what gives us the opportunity to introduce technological ideas, personality, individuality and product character into the technological process of fermentation, using the computer keyboard.
You present yourself with a rich and quality product range and certainly a large family of satisfied customers in Slovakia, but also abroad.
A. Hrdlička: IDD's product range, as I have already mentioned, includes grape processing equipment; receiving hoppers, racking, fermentation or storage tanks, must treatment equipment; decanting tanks and cellaring equipment; and equipment for the controlled fermentation of musts. Of course, the most important number of our existing customers is in Slovakia and Moravia. In recent years, we have also expanded our sales to Austria and Germany, and we export some of our products for controlled fermentation of musts to virtually every wine-producing country in Europe - from Ukraine in the east to Spain in the west.
S. Barborjak - Galeková: We are very pleased that we have been able to win customers both in Slovakia and abroad and even in America, where we have made our way not only on the basis of favourable prices, but also on the basis of quality. And we believe that this trend will continue in the future.
Readers will certainly be interested in your goals and news for winemakers in the near future.
A. Hrdlička: In recent years we have focused our efforts on the development of a new range of fermentation vessels for the fermentation of blue varieties, in which we have achieved promising results. I would like to point out that this is based on my continuous work in this field, which began as early as the 1970s, when I applied for a number of patents, including patent No 148065 for a cession and fermentation tank. A large number of these have been produced and the vast majority of Slovak and Moravian wines have been produced on these devices, which are still in use to a large extent today. The basis of our new fermentation tanks is the submerged matoline cake method, which we have perfected in principle, design and production to a product with excellent technological results, with universal use both as a maceration tank and as a classic storage tank with a floating lid. However, I would like to inform the readers about this issue in the next article.
Interviewed by Zdenka Šuranská
Ing. Anton Hrdlička - constructor, constructor designer, development worker in development construction. Designs complex large, very difficult and complex buildings, zoning and area plans, unusual and new technologically demanding products. Inventor of three patents for the wine straining tank, the rototank, the rotary fermentation tank outlet, without which today's wine production can no longer be imagined. In his youth he was a passionate aeronautical modeler, later a sportsman - a member of TJ Slavia VŠ and a permanent representative of the school in athletics. He has kept his love for sport to this day and has translated modelling into his professional life. He founded the company IDD Bratislava, where he uses his design and construction knowledge to manufacture and supply stainless steel equipment for the food industry to the entire wine world.
Vine and Wine 1/2012 - PDF for download
