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60 WINES&VINES April 2017 WINEMAKING O ne of the latest trends in winemaking equip- ment involves the egg-shaped wine tanks that have found their way into many wineries. There is a great deal of myth surrounding the utility and functionality of these vessels. Since I used an egg tank last harvest, I decided to review the literature about how these tanks are being used and what a wine- maker might expect if venturing into this "new" esoteric method of wine production. I have been making wine for nearly 40 years, but when I first started, the last of the early 20th-century concrete behe- moths had been retired. Because those old tanks were then described as a dirty and old method for wine production, I have been fascinated by the new interest in the use of concrete as a tank material and by its use specifically in an egg shape. As a construction material, concrete is useful in the winemaking process. There are many hundreds (if not thousands) of wineries in Europe that would not exist if it were not for row upon row of concrete tanks. These tanks, however, are not egg-shaped or treated in the same way. They are generally epoxy lined and fill the winery from floor to ceiling. Many of these tanks were built decades ago and are still producing some very fine wines. From a finan- cial standpoint, those tanks provide the least expensive cost/volume/unit area over time. The egg shape is not entirely new. The amphorae of Greek and Roman times were a precursor to this shape— they were eggs with a midriff bulge. Even today, in Georgia and parts of Italy, wineries are using qvevri (very large terracotta amphora-like tanks that are buried in the ground) to produce wines that are unique in color, interesting in taste and quite delightful. Several companies in Italy are now producing terra- cotta tanks made in the old style, with modern attach- ments such as manway-like lids, valves and support structures to enable them to be moved. iPak Wine and the Vintner's Vault are two companies that are importing ter- racotta tanks to the United States. Benefits of Egg-Shaped Wine Tanks Winery trial compares half-ton bins and plastic eggs By Richard Carey Peter Fraser dumps wine grapes into a ceramic tank from Vital Vessels at Yangara Estate Vineyard in Australia.