24 minute read
What’s New & Innovative in Today’s Sparkling Wine Industry
By: Alyssa L. Ochs
This year, the sparkling wine market reached a value of $33.9 billion, and we aren’t expecting this trend to slow down anytime soon. In fact, analysts have projected that this market will grow by about 14 percent annually and reach at least $51.7 billion by 2027. All of these facts and figures may not mean much to the average consumer. But for sparkling wine producers and companies that serve their supply, distribution and marketing needs, this level of growth demands attention.
With its fizzy effect and upscale reputation, sparkling wine has been making its move from purely celebratory to refreshingly mainstream. No longer is sparkling wine reserved only for luxury events and special occasions. These days, sparkling winemakers are expanding their customer base and introducing refreshingly new and accessible ways to enjoy this beverage any day. Meanwhile, more global demand for this style of wine is creating a greater need for services in this industry and opportunities for more innovation than ever before.
What Is Sparkling Wine?
Sparkling wine is a carbonated, fermented alcoholic beverage made from grapes or other fruits.
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Also Available It is unique because it contains high amounts of carbon dioxide, which creates a frothy mouthfeel and fizzy texture. Although many people commonly refer to all sparkling wine as Champagne, authentic Champagne only comes from the Champagne geographic region in France.
Various types of sparkling wine exist today at a wide range of price points. These include red, rose and white sparkling wines, as well as regionally specific products like Champagne from France, Cava from Spain and Prosecco from Italy. Sparkling wines can be very dry, known as brut, or extra dry, which is sweeter than brut. Sec is another sparkling wine designation that is sweeter than extra dry, while demi-sec is very sweet and often served as a dessert wine.
Some key players in the sparkling wine industry are Bronco Wine Co., Constellation Brands and the E & J Gallo Winery. Rack & Riddle Custom Wine Services is the largest custom and private label producer of Méthode Champenoise in America, producing over 700,000 cases of wine annually. The company’s Shiner Program offers five different appellations to its customers, and it has California, Central Coast, North Coast, Sonoma County and Napa programs too.
How to Make Sparkling Wine
Winemakers create various types of sparkling wine with different methods and processes that affect the taste and quality of the wine. Méthode Champenoise is a traditional method of making sparkling wine and regarded as a high-quality and critically acclaimed means of production.
This classic method of making sparkling wine involves adding yeast and sugar to the base wine and doing a second fermentation inside each bottle. Yeast is removed from the bottle after it is agitated for weeks and even months, which can be a time- and labor-intensive process.
When asked what makes Méthode Champenoise preferred over sparkling wines made in other styles, Mark Garaventa, the general manager for Rack & Riddle, said that the tiny bubbles, creamy
mouthfeel and balanced fruit with acid just make you want to keep sipping.
“Other sparkling wine styles have larger bubbles not as elegant mouthfeel,” Garaventa said. “The loss of carbonation in these other methods is much more rapid as well. Most other styles are typically sweeter and don’t use traditional fruit varieties like chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.”
Another method of making sparkling wine is the Charmant (or tank) method, which takes care of the second fermentation while the wine is in a large tank rather than in individual bottles. This process is more cost-effective for producers and something often reflected in the price tag of sparkling wines.
The transfer method of making sparkling wine is similar to the traditional method but differs in the fact that the wines don’t need to be riddled and disgorged in the same way. Alternatively, bottles of wine are emptied into pressurized tanks, sent through pressurized filters to remove dead yeast and then rebottled.
There is also the ancestral method of making sparkling wine that involves using very cold temperatures to strategically stop the fermentation process for a period of time before bottling and resuming fermentation in the bottle. It is one of the oldest ways to make sparkling wine, hence the name, “ancestral.” Meanwhile, winemakers use the carbonation method to carbonate still wines in a pressurized tank and the continuous method to continually add yeast into pressurized tanks while increasing the total pressure.
Unique Challenges of Sparkling Wine
Although sparkling wine is still wine, by definition, there are distinct differences and unique challenges that come with making this type of craft beverage. These differences extend to wine ingredients, production, bottling, marketing and more.
Garaventa from Rack & Riddle said that sparkling wine is much more labor-intensive than still wine and that there are more steps to the process. He also said sparkling wine requires more time on the lees due to the secondary fermentation in the bottle and the aging of the wines for 12 to 24 months in bottles until they are available for sale. Garaventa also noted that it is necessary to have winemakers and staff specifically trained and experienced in sparkling wine.
“Most winemaking programs are not geared to the sparkling process,” Garaventa said. “Supplies are completely different and not as readily available at competitive pricing for low volumes, so economy of scale is important.”
Fortunately, some companies specialize in the products and services that sparkling wine producers need to refine their craft and expand their operations to meet demand. For example, Rack & Riddle offers guidance through the custom crush grapeto-bottle process. This includes crushing, lab work, storage in barrels or tanks, tirage bottling, aging, disgorging, corking, foiling, caging, labeling, packing and palletizing wines for pickup. The company also offers base-to-bottle services, in which customers provide the base wine, and then Rack & Riddle develops a sparkling wine out of it. Rack & Riddle operates facilities in Healdsburg and Alexander Valley, California.
“Within our Shiner Program, we supply everything, enabling the customer to take advantage of our scale, from a pricing perspective, therefore obtaining a high-quality wine at a very competitive price,” Garaventa said. “We have long-standing relationships with the growers and have selected only the best fruit sources to produce the very best quality Méthode Champenoise product. We can also provide grape-to-bottle or base-to-bottle programs for sparkling wines as well.”
Recent Innovations in Sparkling Wine
With recent growth comes more demand for improvement and innovation in the sparkling wine industry. Europe and the United States are the top markets for sparkling wine, especially now that deseasonalized consumption is driving more sales
and making sparkling wine more common at casual gatherings and quiet nights at home. From the consumption side, sparkling wine is increasingly served with appetizers and as an ingredient in cocktails.
“Within the traditional method, we offer low-alcohol and organic wines,” said Garaventa from Rack & Riddle. “Within other sparkling methods, cans are becoming available and also flavored sparkling wines.”
Some sparkling wine producers use closures that allow bars, restaurants, and individual consumers to securely lock and preserve partially consumed bottles of sparkling wine. To accommodate industry growth, vineyard robots can mechanize the process of making sparkling wine and increase production capabilities. For example, robots can optimize working time during labor shortages for harvesting and other jobs that traditionally require a tractor and driver.
Winemakers are becoming increasingly interested in the sustainable production of sparkling wine by using organic techniques and eco-friendly strategies. Meanwhile, researchers have been looking into how to quicken yeast autolysis to create high-quality sparkling wines in less time.
The Future of Sparkling Wine
Like the entire craft beverage market as a whole, the sparkling wine industry felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, sales rebounded in 2021 when consumers finally felt safe to get together in groups again and celebrate life in a renewed way. More and more consumers are also purchasing sparkling wine to drink at home, rather than just saving the beverage for New Year’s Eve toasts and special occasions.
Although Champagne has traditionally been the preferred sparkling wine for festivities, consumers are now interested in learning about other styles of this beverage. So, they may choose crémant, prosecco or cava instead Champagne when there is something to celebrate. Sparkling wine enthusiasts are known for being interested in the winemaking process and understanding what goes into their favorite products. Yet there are distinct differences among budget-friendly, mid-range and top-shelf sparkling wines, offering a little something for everyone without compromising tradition. Sparkling wine companies have been marketing their products more towards the younger generation, especially Millennials, to attract a new following of sparkling wine fans.
Clearly, there is a special place and an undeniable appeal to sparkling wine in today’s society, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for this growing industry.
Wine Tank Purchasing Thoughts
By: Tom Payette - Wimemaking Consultant
One of the biggest tasks in setting up a winery or expanding one is the decisions on the wine tanks. Much time, thought and effort should go into planning what the winery wants to accomplish with the tanks. If these decisions are made properly and well in advance dollar savings and better functionality can be achieved.
What will these tanks be used for? If the tanks will be used for fermenting juice one set of criteria may be used. If used additionally for cold settling of juice, red fermentations or cold stabilization the list of criteria will expand. Deciding what the tanks are needed for in the winery will lead toward the right choice. port at the bottom of the tank at a diameter, for most smaller winery sizes, of 1.5 to 2.0 inches. This is used to fill and empty the tank. A racking valve, usually of the same diameter, will exist on the tank to allow the winemaker to remove clear wine or juice from the tank to a level a small manway door, normally and 18” oval, may be opened to continue to pump the remaining clear juice or wine out of the tank. These tanks are very versatile for red or white wines after pressing.
Red wine tanks often have similar characteristics as the above but with a lower manway door level with the floor or bottom of the tank. This allows the winemaking team to remove the pomace, after skin fermentation, from the vessel to separate the red wine from the red grapes, seeds and skins.
Some red wine tanks do not have the side oval door mentioned in the white wine paragraph above but the purchaser is encouraged to get these doors on their reds tanks so the tanks may be used more in the cellar as red and white wine tanks.
Cooling jackets - location and how much? Give serious consideration to this aspect due to many physical characteristics and laws of heat transfer. Consider the amount of surface area that may be needed to cool the juice/wine needed. If one needs to use the tanks for fermentation only a smaller surface area may be used. If chilling the wine to cold stabilize the wine, make sure there will be enough surface area to combat predicted ambient cellar temperatures and let your cooling system representative know the capacity of the wine tank and desired cold stability temperature of the wine. When discussing the cooling jackets be sure to understand where the jackets will be placed on the tanks to best be able to predict how much volume will be needed in the tank for the heat transfer to start taking place. My position is the lower the jacket placement on the sidewall of the tank the better. Larger sized tanks may require two, or more, separate cooling jackets.
Will solenoids be used to help control the tem-
perature of the tank? Will these be electronically controlled? Do you want them to be web based controlled for off-site monitoring and manipulation? Do you want wireless applications to control the solenoids? How many thermocouples ports will be needed for proper temperature control and for the readings desired?
Heating capacity: Becoming more of the norm in the cellar and more affordable for the winemaking team. Zero in on the needs of the heating and give serious thought to insulating your tanks for the process. Do you care for heating elements in the bottom of the tank or do you prefer a mobile glycol heater unit that will plug into your isolated glycol jackets on individual tanks? If choosing the heating element positioned in the bottom of the tank make sure to address the potential freezing of this liquid, if used, during cold stabilization. If using a glycol heater for the jackets make sure to plumb the tanks for this feature. Valves – where and how big? Racking valves - determine what size fitting and hoses may used for the transfers of the juice, wine or must into and out of the tank. Smaller wineries will be able to size the valves at 1.5 to 2.0 inches as mentioned for juice or wine. If must will be pumped into and out of the tank one will want to review how this will be done and consider larger sized fittings at the bottom port. I rarely choose the larger valves but there may be instances this is the best choice.
Man ways and doors? Many configurations of man ways and doors exist. Think through all wine and juice production needs to best select these locations, functions and sizes.
Will the tanks be placed on adjustable legs or
stands? This issue can be a large issue in terms of physically handling the red wine must. If one prefers not to pump red wine must after crushing for quality purposed, one must place the tanks at a height with the lower manway door opening on the red wine tank to have a bin or container placed underneath the lower man way opening to the tank. Although this is the largest reason to place a tank higher in the air than “normal” be sure to pay attention to this height even if using a must pump. Dejuicing tanks can also be elevated above a press opening level for certain production benefits and efficiencies linked to productions styles and quality issues. White wine tanks may have more flexibility regarding the tank leg height but be sure to understand where the racking door will be placed and how the tank will be serviced, cleaned etc.
Will the tanks be placed indoors or outdoors? Review this question not only for your first needs but address the question for the anticipated growth of your winery.
What material should the tanks be made out of?
While many tanks are stainless steel and this article addresses stainless steel tanks, tanks can be made of other materials including but not limited to: Concrete, cement, fiberglass, wood, plastic etc.
Will fixed or variable capacity tanks be used?
Speak with the winemaking team a long time on this issue. What style of wine will be produced and
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how long will it stay in the stainless tanks? There are certain positive applications for both styles so choosing the correct one will be significant. I highly recommend fixed capacity tanks for almost all situations and applications.
What size tank will we need and where will it
be placed? Don’t laugh but some tanks that may be one height may not fit in your winery with a fixed ceiling height. Keep in mind the tank is a cylinder, in most cases, and that tipping that on end and upward may require more ceiling height than expected. Run some math to make sure the tanks will fit in the building. Is the door large enough to get the tank in the building? Also determine if one can open and service the top of the tank after it is in place. Will a catwalk be built and if so – what impact will this have regarding setbacks from the wall or certain areas. Will a public catwalk also be close by? Will the public have access to the tank? How much space will you care to have between the tanks?
When do I need to order the tanks? The earlier negotiations with suppliers can start the better chance of getting exactly what you want at a reasonable price. Custom made tanks are not necessarily more expensive than stock tanks. Orders with ample lead time may allow for the tanks to be made where quality craftsmanship is high and labor cost are low. Order at least 7 months in advance to get what you want and to have time negotiating price with different suppliers.
Equally important to all of the above one must also give serious thought, specific to their winery, addressing: What will the side wall height to diameter ratio be? Can certain savings be made if tanks are made in stock sheet metal width sizes? Will lift eyelets be needed? Will ladder hooks be needed and where? Will the top of the tanks truncate forward, back or have centered manway tops? Will sight gauges be needed? Will sample valves be installed and where? Will thermocouple ports be needed, how many and where? Will name plates and ice shields be needed? Do you want a separate mixing valve port? Will delestage be a winemaking tool that is used in the operation?
Make sure the supplier of the tank is reputable and to establish what type of welds will be used, their finish and the gauge/thickness of the steel, if choosing stainless. The quality of the stainless steel can vary too.
Can I get technical drawings from the manufac-
ture? In most cases with a reputable tank manufacture you will be able to request tank drawings to make sure the dimensions and locations are as you expect them to be. See attached a drawing of a tank made overseas and where most figures are in metric and US.
In review – a wine tank is not just a wine tank! Many factors go into each winery specific needs for these tanks. The above are just some of the starter issues one will want to review. In no way have all issues been covered. The more the winemaking team thinks through their operational and winemaking needs related to the wine tanks, both immediate and for the future, the more cost effective this purchase will become.
Winemaking Consultant
Thomas J. Payette “Winemaker of the Year” Over 25 Years Experience
Tom Payette, a premier hands on and analytical winemaking consultant, serves clients throughout the United States.
From the construction of your business to the cork in your bottle to your consumers. Call Thomas or check his website for more information...
Phone: 540-672-0387
Photo Credit: Onguard Seismic Systems
SEISMIC PROTECTION:
Manufacturing Tanks for Wineries to Withstand the Unpredictability of Natural Disasters and More!
By: Cheryl Gray
Although wineries have plenty to consider when selecting the tanks that will store their wine, earthquakes are not at the top of the list for most. However, if a tank can hold its own during an act of God, there’s a good chance it offers multiple protections for a winery’s most precious commodity: wine.
While natural disasters are out of human control, there is at least one manufacturing company touting earthquake-proof products. Enter Onguard Seismic Systems, with offices in New Zealand and Sonoma County, California. While the company has clients where earthquakes are most prone, there is also customer interest, it says, in the protection its tank equipment can offer to wineries in the Midwest and the Southern United States. According to the company, more than half of New Zealand wineries use Onguard-equipped tanks. Other global clients include those in Chile and Italy. In addition,
Onguard is working to supply its first systems in Australia. Company founder and CEO, Will Lomax, explained how he believes tank safety standards have evolved.
“The U.S. wine industry is decades old, and many tanks have been built to traditional standards with little regard to earthquake performance. Unfortunately, some tanks are still being built without adequate consideration of earthquake risk. In some areas, there is an attitude of ‘nothing can be done’ when the ‘Big One’ strikes. We have shown that something can be done, and our engineered systems have proven this in actual earthquakes.
We provide seismic systems for tanks that include comprehensive, holistic, certified structural engineering designs and supply of our patented energy-dissipating seismic dampers. This gives our customers the ultimate peace of mind, safe in the knowledge that they are equipped with the world’s best, and earthquake-proven, means of protecting their lives and livelihoods.”
Lomax pointed to 2016, when he said that more than 300 tanks equipped with Onguard systems survived an M7.8 earthquake in New Zealand. According to Lomax, while there was neither wine loss nor tank damage under products bearing his company’s moniker, while virtually every other tank that contained wine in New Zealand was severely compromised.
The outcome was far different in 2013, when Lomax watched the devastation caused by another earthquake, which prompted him to create Onguard Seismic Systems. As a structural engineer with some 30 years of experience in multiple facets of engineering, Lomax put Onguard on the frontline of protecting wineries from the catastrophic destruction of earthquakes by developing the system that thwarted disasters like the one that occurred in 2016.
“Onguard’s performance in this ultimate test was extremely satisfying, as was my appointment as the trusted advisor to the New Zealand government to lead the engineering recovery in time for the 2017 harvest. The wine industry prevailed, thanks in no small part to Onguard.”
In California, where earthquakes are more common than in other parts of the United States, win-
eries are turning to companies like Onguard for tanks and tank equipment that can protect for the long-run. Among them is Vintage Wine Estates, a multi-million-dollar portfolio of wineries stretching from California to the Pacific Northwest. Rick Hughes, capital projects and facilities manager for Vintage Wine Estates, said that he witnessed the earthquake destruction in New Zealand, and his company has safeguards in place.
“We have 2.8 million gallons of cooperage anchored with Onguard Seismic Systems. Seismic anchor systems are a code requirement in our seismic zone 7. Unfortunately, most all anchor systems are just that; they anchor the tank to a structural system, but do not help in a seismic event. Not only will the Onguard system effectively work in a seismic event, but the benefit is also the sustainability of the anchor. Simply reinstalling the inside of the anchor that took the brunt of the event allows the system to be up and functioning with little effort or capital.”
Experts agree that knowing what to look for before buying tanks and tank-related equipment can avert headaches later. Lomax had some pointers.
“Make absolutely clear that you require a complete, stamped structural design of the tank system: tank, anchorage, foundation and connected infrastructure (catwalks and services) that meets the requirements of the building code. This will ensure earthquake resilience, avoid the need for any improvements in the future and will ultimately help you sleep at night.
We have personal experience helping wineries recover from the effects of earthquakes; the consequences are far-reaching, often unforeseen and can be devastating to your business and – worse still – your people.”
Experts, including Lomax, understand the importance of strong building codes when considering the strength of wine tanks.
“The current design codes in the U.S. are very specific and demand energy dissipation through ductile yielding of tank anchors – a well-founded earthquake engineering approach that is intended to offer solid protection to the tanks. Onguard is the only anchoring system that complies with this, but sadly these requirements are often overlooked or ignored. One of our missions is to generate awareness of these conditions with customers, partners and local jurisdictions.”
There are changes at the city and county levels when it comes to enacting regulations designed to promote tank safety. Lomax provided an example.
“Thankfully, cities and counties are becoming more aware of the risk that earthquakes pose to wine tanks and the need to mitigate this risk and are tackling this head-on. For example, tanks now face far more scrutiny in the permitting process, and we’re currently mid-way through a complete retrofit project for an entire winery in Napa County that was mandated by the county itself.”
Lomax wants the Onguard system to become the industry standard in the U.S. and is working toward that goal, one, he adds, that has already been achieved in New Zealand.
“The additional investment needed is minimal, if any at all, and we can often offer savings against traditional designs. We also retrofit existing tanks and on our travels are introduced to multiple tanks at multiple facilities which are clearly prone – to varying degrees – to earthquake damage. Having grown up in wine, we know the industry inside-out and have seen first-hand the consequences of living with earthquake risk and the many different types of tank failure and remediation. We’re the world leaders in this space, and our clients trust us to advise them on the levels of risk and, if necessary, work with them on a targeted program of improvement. The end result is always an earthquake-engineered, earthquake-ready facility that is as safe as possible to work in.”
Another natural disaster that threatens wineries comes in the form of wildfires, particularly in California and other areas with severe drought conditions. National Storage Tank, Inc., headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, provides customers the option of having an on-site, dedicated fire protection water tank to protect wineries and vineyards. The company says the tanks are configured with a small footprint but have enough storage capacity to become a viable part of any vineyard or winery fire protection plan. National Tank Storage also provides wineries with stainless steel tanks for storing, mixing or fermenting wines with capacities of up to
650,000 gallons. Additionally, it offers wastewater and chemical treatment tanks, all designed to handle specific jobs in accordance with environmental regulatory requirements.
On a relative scale, the day-to-day operations of maintaining safety standards for the tanks and tank equipment used in winemaking are as important as those that guard against natural disasters. Problems that may compromise the taste and quality of a wine are solved in part by choosing the right kind of tanks and equipment for the wine being produced.
California’s Rack and Riddle Custom Wine Services in Sonoma County provides a full range of wine production services for its clients. The company also produces its own brand of sparkling wine. Rack and Riddle deploys an old-world technique known in the industry as Méthode Champenoise to produce its signature product. This traditional French method of making sparkling wine requires the wine to go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which demands additional time, labor and equipment, including special tanks. Award-winning winemaking consultant Penelope Gadd-Coster, executive director of winemaking at Rack and Riddle, explains the variety of tanks and tank equipment needed for Rack and Riddle to produce a vast array of wines.
“We use a mix of manufacturers for our stainless tanks that range in size of 1,000 gallons to 100,000 gallons. Since we specialize in sparkling wines, the tanks need cooling jackets, generally dimpled jackets. They are used for all parts of the process, from settling to pre-bottling. Stainless-steel is fairly easy to maintain.”
While tank and tank equipment needs may vary, one thing experts make clear: Choosing the right products can protect against a natural disaster while at the same time averting potential day-today threats to quality control.
