I recently wrote about what appears to be the growing use of concrete tanks in the fermentation process in the US. I saw lots of it in Argentina and France, but didn’t see much beyond stainless steel or oak in winery tours on the West Coast.
But now a Sonoma business is giving the French cement tank makers a run for their money. The most popular French tanks for the US market from are rounded like an egg. Sonoma Cast Stone’s egg-shaped containers are lighter, larger and cheaper than their French cousin’s.
They are actually two eggs in one. Inside is traditional concrete, cast smooth with Portland cement, chlorine-free water and local sand and gravel. Tartaric acid treatments keep the basic pH of the concrete from affecting wine acidity. The outer egg is made of something they call EarthCrete, their own fiber-reinforced mix made from locally recycled concrete, porcelain and glass. Tanks are about 8 feet high and 5 feet wide, hold 500 gallons and weigh 3,900 pounds dry. They cost about $12,000, including shipping to wineries in Sonoma and Napa counties.
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