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Small Wineries Choose Tanks Where do eastern winemakers look for stainless steel tanks? By Linda Jones McKee T anks are pretty simple, right? Originally they were made of clay, then wood or concrete, and now from stainless steel. Winemakers can get them in a practically limit- less range of sizes—with or without jackets for insula- tion and cooling, with valves and manways and a variety of attachments that permit stirring, punching down, pumping over and removing seeds. Call your local supplier, and you can get whatever you need. Or can you? Like many things, some stainless steel tanks are better than others. All tank manufacturers can obtain quality stainless steel, but not all companies have the same level of skill for welding techniques or understanding of the wine industry to make tanks that suit a particular winemaking style. For small wineries in the East, quality often comes with a high price tag— both for the tank and for the freight to get these large, heavy objects to a location not in a mainstream wine-producing region. The first place a winemaker east of the Rockies may go to look for tanks is Prospero Equipment. Originally based in Pleasantville, N.Y., the company now has offices in New York's Finger Lakes region and California. The company offers both standard and customized stainless steel tanks with options such as automatic punch down, pump over and seed-removal systems. Standard tanks include fixed-capacity tanks, variable-capacity tanks, stackable tanks, punch down fermentors (with and without seed removal) and small variable-capacity tanks. The tanks from Prospero are all imported from SK Group in Slovenia. The company's catalog is available for downloading on the Prospero website, prosperocorp.biz. Tanks made in America Two of the companies making stainless steel tanks in the East are Vance Metal Fabricators in Geneva, N.Y., and Custom Metalcraft in Springfield, Mo. Vance Metal Fabricators began business in 1880 as a boiler manufacturer. It now produces tanks for a number of different This jacketed tank from Prospero Equipment has automatic punch down, pump over and seed-removal systems in place. WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 61 WineEast View video in the Wines & Vines Digital Edition. Stefano Albrigi, owner of Italian tank manufacturer Albrigi, discusses several tanks being used by the Venetian winery Masi Agricola. Located in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Albrigi stores many of its standard tanks and accessories on racks outside the factory.