The rewarded winery Vinařství Josef Valihrach from Kruvíř experiments with a cryomaceration tank with rotary degasser.
IDD Bratislava´s field of expertise is invention and manufacturing of winery technologies – system for controlled fermentation and cooling, wine storage containers, and much else. The founder of the company, Mr. Anton Hrdlička, holds patents for construction of straining tanks, rotary tank and rotary drain of fermentation tank. He used his invention skills for constructing of lying cryomaceration tank equipped with rotary degasser, which is cooling or heating of mash.
“The machine can do cool maceration, gentle processing and fermentation of not only blue grapes, but also cold stabilization of wine, as well as fast heating. Moreover, you can use it for storage of mash or wine“, said Mrs. Sabina Barborjak, Sales Director of IDD Bratislava and daughter of the company´s founder. Winemakers never cease to surprise her by creative utilization of the cryomaceration tank.
Competition test and winemaker´s invention
The innovative type of tank is the answer of IDD Bratislava to long-standing demands for cold maceration. "We are exploring the path of gentle grape processing, and that is why in 2012 we created a prototype that uses a special rotor to wade through the fermentation mash. The subject of the patent is that the cooling, or heating, is mediated directly by the rotating mechanism. The rotor beams have a special inclination, length and shape," Barborjak revealed. The company has since produced three dozen of these devices.
To be sure of their device's capabilities, they first tested competing devices. "We did tests of other manufacturers' tanks, but only one from Italy met the requirement that all the meat was cooled evenly, the other tanks showed large temperature differences in the macerated meat. I'm sure the winemakers aren't even aware of this because they have no way of measuring it," Barborjak believes.
The most important thing became apparent when the tank was used. "Milan Skovajsa, one of the progressive Slovak winemakers, switched on the equipment at the beginning of fermentation at the lowest speed of 12 Hz, i.e. a revolution in 6 minutes, the movement is hardly noticeable to the eye. He let the mash stir for a week without a break. The gas leak was continuous and the formation of a matolin hat was avoided, an absolute revolution. We don't break the matolin hat because it doesn't form at all. As a result, we have much less sludge and the tank can be emptied easily," Barborjak described.
From Bratislava to Krumvíř
The revolutionary VMH 1800 equipment, manufactured in 2021, has been used by the Josef Valihrach Winery in Krumvír since last season. The award-winning family winery with a production of up to 70,000 bottles a year is not afraid to go its own way and experiment - the offer includes everything from mature red wines to quality frizzante in a can.
The winery has been on the path of innovation from the beginning and the cryomaceration tank with a capacity of 5,500 litres offers a wide range of applications. "It opens up technological and logistical possibilities for us in the winery. We have over 30 varieties and most years we harvest from mid-September to November. Every year we used to buy two large 2 500 litre barrique tanks, but last year we bought this tank," described Josef Valihrach junior, who is in charge of technology at the winery.
Advantages of VMH 1800
According to Valihrach, working with the new cryomachinery tank has a number of advantages. "First of all, it is incomparably easier to work with. When we had standing tanks with scraping and a mechanical phase, a matolin hat was still forming at the top. So for fear of oxidation or mould, you have to break the hat up on the high tank. That falls off," he described.
For the winemakers, the transfer of the macerate to the press was also a problem. "With the new tank, we just put a smaller mash pump on the front outlet. And alternately pump out, lightly spray the material from the top, and thanks to the sparging we can easily get everything out. It's so well done that there's no need for manual intervention," described the winemaker. To make the job safer, the tank is complete with a stainless steel ladder with a platform and railing.
According to Barborjak, the tank is designed to hold from 200 kilograms of raw material to 5 tonnes. "Several times we have had smaller batches in there when we wanted to let them get a little more polished before pressing. Even though there was only a third of the volume in the tank, it worked well. Compared to the previous fermenter, you can see that the efficiency is much better," says Valihrach.
Long-term experiment
Winemakers from Krumvíř made a surprise for Mrs. Sabina Barborjak from IDD Bratislava – blue variety Carménère which was harvested in the end of October 2021, rested in the fermenter even during her visit at the end of February 2022.
"Some people are surprised, but we've had a tank full of Carménère since October. We have managed to bring together several stages of production. Which we wouldn't have done without this equipment. We picked this blue variety in October/November this year, so we wouldn't have pressed it much earlier than we do now anyway. In the tank, it is under carbon dioxide all the time and with minimal mechanical stress,' the winemaker is pleased.
The mash of the Carménère variety was initially undercooled and stirred for three weeks straight at a minimum speed. 'Then we warmed the mash in the same vessel, started fermentation and kept the temperature at maximum. During fermentation, the grains moved to the edge of the tank and could be blasted off, hopefully helping to reduce the bitterness and green notes. I was also satisfied with the visual inspection and I am inserting great confidence in the facility," the younger of the Valihrachs said.
Father and son continuously taste the experimental wine. They are not in a hurry for wine at the Valihrachs'. "We won't rush it to the market, because the layers of flavour are more to the wine's liking, and the gentle contact with the berries could encourage this," he thinks. The wine will then lie and age for at least three years. "The trend for late pressing and ageing of blue varieties is clear, and we have taken this a little further thanks to our confidence in this facility," said Valihrach.
Sanitation and Service
"Thanks to the precision workmanship, the tank does not need a lifting mechanism because it is tipped forward on adjustable legs and is therefore very easy to sanitise," Barborjak emphasised. Traditional sanitation using acid or lye solutions is more than sufficient.
As Mrs. Barborjak said, the tank can be also placed outside, but it should not be exposed to the direct sunlight. “Our tank can withstand even sunlight. Its shell and insulation are strong enough and therefore cost-saving at the current time of expensive energies.
The Slovak manufacturer does not forget about customer service. "In addition to a quality product, we also offer quality service - we are on call 24 hours a day during the season. It is not far from Bratislava to Moravia, we have all spare parts and components in stock," assured Barborjak.
Valihrach praises the cooperation with the manufacturer. "It was a pleasure to negotiate, but also to help with the installation of the tank. So far we have had no problems. I appreciate the enthusiasm, the overlap and perhaps also the experience from Klosterneuburg, Austria, where the Slovak equipment was the subject of research work. We also consult with the manufacturer on what the equipment can do, and when we have a new idea or a new gadget, they always support and advise us. It's not just a case of the manufacturer bringing the screws," Valihracha says. He also appreciated the fact that the 230V socket powers the device thanks to the conversion. "The electricity consumption is negligible in the operation of the entire winery," said the winemaker.
Other ways of utilization
Mr. Valihrach also used the cryomaceration tank as a heat exchanger. “I had an idea to connect the tank to the circle like a cooling element. It was at a time, when I fermented almost the whole cellar and I needed to maintain a certain temperature there. At the same time, I had to heat the cold raw material which had been placed in the cryotank. I opened the circle to the whole cellar and fermentation vessels were cooled by the cryotank´s medium,” shared the winemaker his experience. The heat exchange ran very well thanks to the rotor in the tank. “You can run without a running aggregate for a certain period of time. Of course, you must watch out for any temperature surge. This is how you can reduce costs. It can be also a rescue if cooling stopped working,” he said.age. It was at the moment when almost the whole cellar was fermenting and I needed to keep it at some temperature. At the same time, I needed to warm up the cold raw material that was in the cryotank, so I opened a circuit to the whole cellar and the fermentation vessels were cooled by the medium from the cryotank," the winemaker shared his experience. Thanks to the fact that there is a rotor in the tank, the heat exchange takes place very well. "So you can operate without the unit running for a while. Of course, you have to be careful that the temperatures don't go up. One can cut costs that way, or it can be a lifesaver if, God forbid, the cooling goes out in a vintage," he said.
Josef Valihrach responded to the question of the universality of use as follows: "I can imagine that even in a larger winery it will be a great help. When the presses are running non-stop or the weather is chasing you, it is possible to use the equipment for gentle storage of material and cryomaceration, but on the contrary, also for relatively fast fermentation of raw material," said Valihrach.
The winemaker of Krumvíř said that he would utilize the vessel for wine completion. “Potentially, processing can be gentler. You can control the mix speed and the temperature. Before bottling, the device is able to substitute drainage and bottling tanks,” said Mr. Valihrach.
According to him, the equipment will find use in both the more traditional and modern concept of winemaking.
According to Valihrach, the new cryomaceration tank is suitable for both Beau jolais nouveau style wines and for the production of dense Italian Ripasso wines. "The only pity for some may be that the tank can't handle more than 5 500 litres. However, few people have larger batches in their reds and it is always possible to get a second tank, we are already thinking about it ourselves," concluded the winemaker.
