Flextank Fermenters

Open Fermenter System

Excellent marc cap control makes open fermentation a preferred method for premium red wine making. All mechanical "mixing" type fermenters, such as rotary and sweep-arm fermenters tend to break down the skins, adding skin protein into the ferment.

Flextank open fermenters are rotational-molded in super tough, food contact, high-density polyethylene. This material does not interact in any way with the juice or wine, is taint free and is very easy to clean, as tartar and other deposits from the wine don't stick to the surface and the material is not stained by red wine pigments.

Flextank's innovative system accessories also make this traditional, labor-intensive method as efficient and controllable as many of the far more costly mechanical systems.

Flextank fermenters in use out-of doors, for ultra-premium Zinfandel production at Concannon Wines, Livermore CA.
Here the must is undergoing a cold soak using submerged brine plates, prior to fermentation.

Basic Vessel Dimensions & Pricing

System Components & Advantages

Flextank's system accessories are designed to take the hard, manual work out of plunging the cap and removing the solid marc after the fermentation has completed.

The forklift becomes the "muscle power" using mounted attachments such as a gimballed plunging foot and a simple marc retrieval net.

In a red ferment, the marc (skins etc.) collect CO2, floating to the surface quite forcefully and forming a cake-like cap. In rational open fermentation, this marc cap is repeatedly broken up and re-submerged for skin color and tannin extraction ("pigage"). The Flextank plunging foot allows this to be done quickly and efficiently from the forklift seat.

After fermentation is nearly complete, the common practice is to pump the free run wine first, then to transport the remaining solids to the press. The remaining caked marc is generally not pumpable and is usually either manually collected in bins or conveyor transferred into the press from a suitably equipped "mechanical" fermenter. Such equipment is costly, space consuming and only in use for a short part of the year

A simple reversal of that procedure allows the marc to be collected first whilst still floating on the free-run or suspended in it. The Flextank marc retrieval net quickly removes enough of the solids efficiently enough to enable the rest to be pumped along with the free run. See below...

System Accessories & Pricing

How the Marc "Net" is used

The logical time and place to collect the marc is thus FIRST, i.e. from the surface of the finished ferment where it is most often still floating and if sunk, is still consolidated. Pre-harvesting most of the marc makes pumping of the free-run, with little remaining solids in suspension:


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*Open Fermenter System* Excellent marc cap control makes open fermentation a preferred method for premium red wine making. All mechanical "mixing" type fermenters, such as rotary and sweep-arm fermenters tend to break down the skins, adding skin protein into the ferment. Flextank open fermenters are rotational-molded in super tough, food contact, high-density polyethylene. This material does not interact in any way with the juice or wine, is taint free and is very easy to clean, as tartar and other deposits from the wine don't stick to the surface and the material is not stained by red wine pigments. Flextank's innovative system accessories also make this traditional, labor-intensive method as efficient and controllable as many of the far more costly mechanical systems. Flextank fermenters in use out-of doors, for ultra-premium Zinfandel production at Concannon Wines, Livermore CA. Here the must is undergoing a cold soak using submerged brine plates, prior to fermentation. *Basic Vessel Dimensions & Pricing* *System Components & Advantages* Flextank's system accessories are designed to take the hard, manual work out of plunging the cap and removing the solid marc after the fermentation has completed. *The forklift becomes the "muscle power" using mounted attachments such as a gimballed plunging foot and a simple marc retrieval net.* In a red ferment, the marc (skins etc.) collect CO2, floating to the surface quite forcefully and forming a cake-like cap. In rational open fermentation, this marc cap is repeatedly broken up and re-submerged for skin color and tannin extraction ("pigage"). The Flextank plunging foot allows this to be done quickly and efficiently from the forklift seat. After fermentation is nearly complete, the common practice is to pump the free run wine first, then to transport the remaining solids to the press. The remaining caked marc is generally not pumpable and is usually either manually collected in bins or conveyor transferred into the press from a suitably equipped "mechanical" fermenter. Such equipment is costly, space consuming and only in use for a short part of the year *A simple reversal of that procedure allows the marc to be collected first whilst still floating on the free-run or suspended in it.* The Flextank marc retrieval net quickly removes enough of the solids efficiently enough to enable the rest to be pumped along with the free run. See below... *System Accessories & Pricing* *How the Marc "Net" is used* The logical time and place to collect the marc is thus *FIRST, i.e.* from the surface of the finished ferment where it is most often still floating and if sunk, is still consolidated. Pre-harvesting most of the marc makes pumping of the free-run, with little remaining solids in suspension: