Having a winery or inheriting one is the dream of many wine lovers. However, to make this dream a reality, there are certain tips and details to know about how to work with grapes to turn them into luxurious and tasty wines. For this, knowing what equipment do you need to start a winery is a must for having a successful winery, after understanding what has to be done and how having a winery will be a joyous experience and business choice.
1. Wine Press
The wine press is one of the most important pieces of equipment on the list of what equipments do you need to start a winery since crushing the grapes is the very first step of making wine. Having a high-quality and durable wine press that can crush grapes at a specific and controlled pressure will work perfectly as many of the wine presses work in the same way and have one purpose. It is important not to crush the seeds to get the bitter taste combined with the taste of grapes, which will ruin the wine.
2. Wine Cooler
The wine cooler is another crucial piece of equipment for a winery. String your products in a nice, cold environment and especially in a specifically designed cooler will be perfect for serving later on. While choosing a wine cooler, make sure to choose a suitable size and a durable one. Manufacturers like Green Cooler provide high-quality and durable wine coolers that come in every size for your winery.
3. Crusher-Destemmers
The step after the press is to separate the crushed grapes from their seeds. This is done by equipment called crusher-destemmers. The reason why this is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the list of what equipment do you need to start a winery is that the separation of seeds and crushed grapes is crucial for making tasty wines.
4. Wine Tanks
Another piece of equipment on the list of what equipment do you need to start a winery is a wine tank. Wine tanks are the ones that are used to store the grape juice before getting to the fermentation tubs. They are made to be acid-resistant and can be made of many materials such as stainless steel, concrete, or even wood. They have a high storage capacity ranging from a thousand to three thousand liters of mashed grapes.
5. Wine Pumps
Wine pumps are another important piece of equipment for a winery. Wine pumps are used for transferring the wine in and out of separate containers, and they are mostly used for bottling the wine. The wine pumps are crucial to use as they are the equipment crucial for the last step of winemaking, which is bottling the wine. It is crucial to use wine pumps to prevent contamination and simplify bottling wine.
6. Ageing Barrels
Ageing barrels are another crucial piece of equipment in the list of what equipment do you need to start a winery as the time wine spends in these barrels makes the difference in the taste and age of the wine. Ageing barrels can be made of various materials, such as wood, especially oak, or stainless steel.
They have their own benefits and cons depending on the wanted results. Ageing barrels that are made of oak tend to last two to three years, which makes the wine at least age for that time, and after ageing, the wine will be taken to the bottling-up process. Stainless steel barrels, however, tend to last longer and can be used many times but the wine in it will lack the taste of oak as the taste of wood tends to get to the wine inside.
7. Fermentation Tubs
Another piece of equipment on the list of what equipments do you need to start a winery is the fermentation tubs. Fermentation tubs are used to store the wine for some time until it is starting to ferment to make the grape juice in it turn into wine. Fermentation tubs are also not the same thing as ageing barrels since the process is different. Even though they are used interchangeably, the process and results are different for each piece of equipment, which makes the difference.
8. Safety Equipment
Safety has to be the very first priority of any business and this should not be changed, which makes them crucial to the list of what equipment do you need to start a winery. Due to this, it is important to use necessary safety equipment to prevent any probable problems or safety issues from occurring. To prevent contamination, ensure that the employees wear gloves, glasses and bonnets.
9. Lab Equipment
Lab equipment is another important one on the list of what equipment do you need to start a winery as having lab equipment will allow you to check the acidity and the chemistry of the wine. This will allow you to know how much alcohol you have to add and what type of alcohol you should and should not add. Lab equipment is also crucial to make sure the quality of the wine you have made, and for this, you can build your own lab inside the winery.
10. Bottle
The last piece of equipment on the list of what equipment you need to start a winery is obviously the bottles. Bottles and bottling wine are crucial parts of the process as badly bottled and stored wine will quickly spoil and will not be drinkable, and this will make all the process you go through be wasted.
To prevent this, investing in nice, dark-colored wine bottles with good corks that can cut the contact between wine and air will prevent the wine from spoiling. After bottling the wine, it is also important to store it in a cold, dry environment which also is not exposed to direct sunlight.
You can read our previous article from Commercial Kitchen Organization
