you like?
For racking from press and for bottling I use and like them. May try to actually age some wine in one this year depending on yields. I will probably just use stainless. I have the thicker ones that breathe like a neutral barrel, they have thinner ones that breathe a little more like a new barrel.
I really want to fill one with PN whole clusters, seal it up and let the grapes just do their thing.
Linda B. recommended watching va so I assume she has used them in the past.
Use them a lot. Love them. Just make sure they are full, like any vessel. Wines age very nicely in them. Very neutral, but without the “tanky” feeling you can get from stainless.
I think of them as the poor man’s concrete tank. And a lot easier to move around and clean.
Super useful, I don’t like to leave wine in there for very long, mainly because of VA concerns.
Curious, is VA a bigger potential issue in flex tanks than in other vessels, and if so, why is that?
Another question - is there any concern with chemicals from the plastic leaching into wine stored for longer times in a flex tank, or is that not an issue with the type of plastic used to make them?
These VA comments worry me
Barry- try one. See if YOU like it.
(BTW - I have no VA issues with mine)
Have used them for years. Pay attention, no VA. Not pay attention…
on whites they produce little VA which can sometimes make them flat. on reds you must check in on them weekly (I spritz with so2) to make sure the larger surface area is protected.
Yeah, the va is not due to the vessel per se, but the fact that it’s a oxygen permeable material without a strong taper, leading to large surface area. With so much going on in a winery, I don’t like the extra headache. I’ve used them for storage successfully in a pinch, but, like vc tanks, it’s just not my first choice.
I picked up some today actually. This year will be my trial with them.
We use the IBC’s for very temporary storage: settling, racking, transport etc. At less than $0.5/gallon its hard to beat them. They are definitely permeable, and I would be concerned about oxidation.
Is there a strong reason to prefer Flextanks (the brand) to the other, cheaper plastic-container-in-a-cage IBCs?
Made for wine. Thicker walled, much slower O2 transfer. Real valve fittings.
You can get a 1.5 or 2" triclover on an IBC with a 2" Buttress to FPT (global industrial)
and MPT to Triclover (st pats etc) They go $125 in the SFBay if you are willing to drive a bit, used to have Balsamic Vinegar so readily cleaned.
Could you explain the bolded parts please?
NPT - National Pipe Thread - US standard threading for most pipes. The thread has a slight taper; the compression helps the joints to seal. F and M refer to the female and male connections. Spend at least a little time thinking about NPT to triclover/etc connections for your winery startup, because if you spend a minute figuring out exactly what you’ll need (ex. sheldon’s post) you can save yourself a lot of pain trying to suss things out by driving back and forth to the store or playing the guessing game with a salesperson.
We use the cube flex tanks a lot for transport, and temporary storage.
We buy them used, (I think they usually had corn syrup or lecithin (oil)), so they need to be cleaned and scalded and cleaned again & again before using them.
Keep in mind they are not meant to last long, and so after a few seasons the draining valves become iffy, and we dispose of them then.
You’ll want to invest in several adapters in order to get the Tri-Clover fittings on there.