You can read the full report of the study here.
Final Report on my 24-Month Comparative Study on the Evolution of Wine Aged in a Flextank vs. a Second-Year Oak Barrel
Techniques in Home Winemaking
A blog for those passionate about home winemaking
You can read the full report of the study here.
Hi Daniel,
I appreciate your study, and your book!
I am wondering if you have tested or have thoughts about the heavyweight version of Flex Tank with reduced oxygen transfer rate? I am thinking that, given the relatively high surface area to volume of a small tank such as the 15 gallon ECO, perhaps the thicker version would be best for bulk aging?
I am also wondering if you find that you can rack by gravity off of settled fine lees using the spigot, or is it placed too low for this? My understanding from calling Flex Tank is that their rotating racking arm accessory is too large for the 15 gallon tank.
Hi Ken,
No, I have not worked or tested the heavyweight version of Flextanks, but yes, you will get slower oxygen transfer into the tank and wine. The choice of type really depends on your aging regimen and duration. The light-weight tanks require monthly FSO2 checks and adjustments, just like a barrel.
Yeah! I don’t know why they don’t make a racking arm that fits the 15-gal ECO. It’s easy enough to cut though, or you can purchase one, a better one with a much nicer finish. I have several that I bought from a supplier here in Canada. I always use the racking arm.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel.
I currently have 15 gallons of Mencia, 15+ gallons of Pinot Noir, and close to 15 gallons of Albariño in the midst of fermentation, all from beautiful Columbia Gorge grapes. I really don’t want 9 more 5 gallon glass carboys!
I do have four 7.5 gallon Anvil stainless steel fermenters that I use for whites and roses (they do come with racking arms!), haven’t known of these being potentially also used between harvests for a bulk aging year and not sure they are sufficiently air-tight…
Do you have a link for the racking arms that you mentioned ? I also have the same issue with the plastic 60L Speidel fermenter I have.
Here is the link. This is a good-quality racking arm. Keep in mind that I’m in Canada; this is a Canadian vendor, and prices are in $CAD. I don’t know if he ships to the US but I don’t see why not.
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/tc-rotating-racking-arm.html
Thanks, I ordered the Flextanks, valve flange kits, and 1.5” TC racking arms very similar or same as your example. I am new to the Tri-Clover fittings system and am wondering if you favor a butterfly vs ball valve? I will be attaching a hose barb and racking by gravity.
It makes no real difference if you are just moving wine, but when working with must (i.e. wine and grape solids) and doing pumpovers, I find butterfly valves to be a pain as they tend to clog fairly easily with 1.5″ fittings.