WineMaker

I am a importer of custom fermenters and winery equipment. I have a customer that wants a 6000 litter Mash cooker. My question is regarding the steam jacket depth. A normal cooling jacket has a depth of 2 to 5 mm. That is the distance were the glycol can flow between the tank wall and jacket. My question is what is the ideal depth to insure efficiency?

Dwight Busalacchi

Mio Vigneto Products

Rendering looks very nice. If you can send me drawing of pot I would like to give you a quote to manufacture them.

Best Regards,

Dwight Busalacchi

Mio Vigneto Products, Inc

(415) 531-6450

I am in the process of planting a vineyard, first block of Sauvignon Blanc in it's third leaf along with a 3,000 square foot winery and distillery. This still will be used to produce brandy for making port style wines. Last year a great friend in Europe sent me a still as a gift for my new facility. This still is a wood fired 1 barrel unit with four bubble plates and a reflux unit at the top. In order to conserve water I have built a programmable temperature controller which will take temperature readings above the pot, at the water outlet on the reflux unit and also at the condenser. This controller will then operate two motorized ball valves, one at the water inlet of the reflux unit and the other for the condenser.

When still is operating what should be the water temperature at the reflux unit for the various stages of distillation?

Dwight

Hi, Miovigneto Products is a supplier of custom stainless steel tanks.

Web www.miovigneto.com

email dwightb@miovigneto.com

Hi I'm new to this site and have found it informative. I'm currently in a startup mode and trying to find a source for small (50 gal to 100 gal) stainless tanks. These are needed solely for the purpose of setup for TTB licensing. I'm a liqueur maker - not distiller that will come later. Any pointers arer appreciated

FrEwing

I will exhibiting my fermentors and tanks at the Unified this comming January. Every year I receive free passes to give to customers. If anyone is interested in going to this event please send an email to me and as soon as I receive the passes I will mail them off. Please put "Unified Passes" in subject line.

Dwight Busalacchi

Mio Vigneto Products, Inc

Web www.miovigneto.com

Email dwightb@miovigneto.com

Looks like great workmanship.

I don't know much about fermentation of mash, but if the yeast adds flavor to the final product I would recommend Oval tanks. I sell a lot of these style tanks to wineries for the production of white wines. The oval tank has a bottom surface area about 6 times larger than a standard open or closed top fermentor of the same diameter to height ratio. This gives the fermenting liquid more exposure to the lees bed lending to a more creamy mouth feel. The other advantage is the ease of agatation.

Regards,

Dwight

I was just wondering if anyone is using open top fermenters for whiskey production? If so are there any benefits or downfalls to using them instead of closed top fermenters? Just Wondering

Thanks

Seth

Looking for a number of stainless steel storage tanks, sizes 1500 Gal and 6000 Gal. upright. Please reply with contact info and location.

If you are looking for custom tanks, mixers and fermentors go to my website www.miovigneto.com

Merry Christmas,

Dwight

Ladies & Gents,

We're coming up on our first winter and I am wondering if we will have to make some adjustments for the colder weather. Our production is in a garage-type facility (no insulation, just a wood stove for taking out the chill). We ferment 100-225 gal. batches, depending on the product. Are we going to need to get some heating blankets or something like that to keep the temp up on the fermenters, or as long as we get the fermentation to start should we be okay? We're in Western KY, so at night we're talking temps dipping down to the 20's during the worst part of the winter, and highs in the high 30's/low 40's. Thanks guys.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I don't think waterbed heaters will work for they are very low wattage. I would get some of the R4 silvered bubble wrap found at Orchard Supply and wrap the tanks with a couple of layers. This will alow less thermo loss for the fermenting fruit will generate plenty of heat. On the plus side if the fruit is fermenting, just too slow, you will preserve a lot of fruit aromas and taste in the finished product.

Now if the ferment has stopped, and depending on the % complete you may have to use a killer yeast to restart. To do this;

Start a new batch of yeast in a warm area adding some GOFERM at .5 grams per gram of yeast. Once the ferment starts add some of your juice (warmed to about 80 F to the yeast a little at a time. Build this up to say a gallon, now add your cooler must to the yeat a little at a time until the yeast is working near the temperature of the mash. Then add to the main batch.

Dwight

Mio Vigneto Products

New:

jvnw.com

dmeinternational.com

srss.com

There are others if price is no object.

Used:

http://ager-tank-equipment.com/

http://www.nabrewing.com/

http://www.soundbrew.com/

http://probrewer.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=26

It can be tough to find used mash/lauter tuns sold stand alone, but they're out there every now and again.

Happy hunting.

Hi,

We can help you out. Please use one of our forms and fill out what you need.

Dwight Busalacchi

www.miovigneto.com

Hi to all,

My wife and I are very excited in our new venture. Ever since I was seven years old I have been helping first my grandfather then my uncle make wine. Winemaking and fine brandy is a passion in our family.

Several years ago I started importing tanks from Europe to give the small winemaker the same selection of tanks that the large wineries had at their disposal, only smaller. The business has slowly blossomed making new friends and a little extra income to bring our dreams to foliation. This past year we planted our first block of vines and just completed a 3000 square foot winery. It is kind of funny we don’t have the money now to buy our own tanks, but I did receive a very nice gift from my European partners, a 250 liter batch still for the production of brandy. It is a simple still made a local coppersmith.

The still kettle and column are made of copper, has four bubble cap trays and a condenser on the top. The kettle sits in a metal fire box and uses wood as a fuel. The total height is 13 feet and was engineered to produce 145-165 proof distillates.

I use “Five Star” products when cleaning my tanks, and recommend it to all my customers. I contacted the Five Star rep regarding cleaning out the still for the interior has a lot of oxides and flux residue. They recommended PBW and acid rinse. My question is, do I fill the still from the top of the column, let sit for 20 minutes then drain and rinse? Or do I use a sprayer and open all the port above the trays and just spray?

Thanks for your help.

Dwight