In the 1960s and early 1970s most wine produced in Italy was placed in concrete and fibre-glass-reinforced plastic tanks, and only 8.5 million hectolitres were contained in stainless steel tanks, for a total of 17,000 tonnes of flat product. In 1985 the hectolitres of wine rose to 28 million, with consumption of stainless steel flat products of 56,000 tonnes. In the following decade the upturn continued and the increase was estimated at around 5% per year.
Winegrowers Rocca Angelo & Figli, in the province of Milan, store wine in large tanks in EN 1.4301 (AISI 304) stainless steel throughout, with 2B finish and capacity of up to 300 hl.
The tanks are cooled by a coolant contained in double- and triple-bossed stainless steel linings attached to the tanks. A double layer of insulating polyurethane is inserted in this lining to maintain the required temperature. The external cladding plate is in EN 1.4301 (AISI 304) stainless steel with an engine turned surface finish. All the system connecting pipes are also in EN 1.4301 (AISI 304) stainless steel, with cladding in the same material, 2B finish, and insulation in injected polyurethane. The service walkways and stairs are also in stainless steel. The tanks were produced by Azzini (Soresina, near Cremona), the insulation by Coifer (Caravaggio, near Bergamo) and the piping by Omniaplant (Caravaggio).
From “Inossidabile”, 149 (September 2002).
