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Flextank HDPE Maturation Vessels - Australian & International Trial Updates |
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WINE TRIALS IN SWITZERLAND: The wine trials that have been carried out in Switzerland tend to use the smaller volume Flextank vessels, closer to barrel volume (300L and 600L). One 5 month maturation trial used a local variety, Gamaret, and compared the following vessels:
The wines were tasted 'in-cellar' (that is,
not blind) by 2 winemakers. The Flextank
wine was seen as soft, integrated and
structurally 'complete' and the superior
wine. The wine in barriques was similar,
except that it was showing slightly advanced
colour and was dominated by oak flavours.
The wine in stainless steel was regarded as
'hard' and not showing comparable
development to the wines stored in Flextanks
and barriques. The wine in Flextank was
unambiguously preferred by both winemakers.
Whilst the Flextank vessels used in
Switzerland are smaller than those used in
the Australian trials, the results in terms
of colour improvement and wine integration
are much the same. Oak staves were not used
in the trials in Switzerland, whereas they
were important in Australia. This probably
reflects the different grape type, wine
style and marketing culture in each country.
Although smaller volume Flextanks were used
in the Swiss trials, the designed oxygen
permeation value of 17 mg/litre was the same
as that used in the Australian trials. On
the other hand, the period of maturation
used Switzerland was much less than in
Australia. Importantly, winemakers
understand that the driving force for the
maturation process is the inherent
permeability of the Flextank vessels.
This and other trials in Switzerland, South
Africa and the US demonstrate the impacts of
maturation of wine in Flextank vessels to
be:
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