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J ANU AR Y NEWS Egg-Shaped Tanks Whet Appetite Ovoid wood and plastic fermentors intrigue vintners at Milan trade show M ilan, Italy— Egg-shaped fermentors, made in both oak and plastic, were among the top draws at this year's SIMEI wine conven- tion in Milan. France's Foudrerie Francois' elegant oak egg wowed those at the show for its de- sign. FlexTank of Athens, Ga., also im- pressed with its 230- gallon Apollo plastic egg, which offers the benefits of ovoid fer- mentation tank design at the relative bargain price of $700. "We're aiming to re- 12-27% lighter than conventional wine bottles. Local bottles, global good—sure to make a splash! Ask about the O-I Lean+Green® line at wine@o-i.com foudrerie francois' oak egg had wine- makers smitten at the SIMEI convention. place the macro-bin," said FlexTank's owner John Smeaton. The egg shape concentrates the cap during fermentation for deep- er immersion and easier punch down, and the mouth is easily sealed against fruit flies and oxygen, permitting sanitary con- ditions for extended maceration. The cornerless design appears easy to clean and sterilize. Half-round supports that rotate on the axis of the tank's center of gravity facilitate dumping pomace with a forklift. Sensors also garnered some interest from those attending the show. Jean-Marie Sablayrolles of the Institut National de la Re- cherche Agronomique (INRA) outlined recent innovations in fermentation monitoring that continue to improve our ability to monitor, control and automate fermentation. Agostino Cavazza of the Instituto Agrario di San Michelle explained fluorescent methodology to monitor yeast cell viability, a technology that has revolutionized our understanding of viability and fermentation kinetics. Actual observation of yeast strain balance, DNA and RNA markers have embarrassed our cherished theoretical views of predominance of inoculated strains and mathematical models of dominance, presenting instead a true picture of large numbers of strains coexisting in a typical must, whether inoculated or not. In the vineyard, hand-held infrared continues to show prom- ise for non-destructive instantaneous determination of Brix, pH and TA levels. This approach is very intriguing, but issues of berry variability and cluster-averaging strategies remain to be worked out. —Clark Smith Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012 19 ™ makers of leaner, greener, locally-made glass packaging