Oak vs Stainless Steel: Which Container Makes Better Wine?

In the world of wine brewing equipment, stainless steel tanks and containers are probably the most popular, thanks to their easiness to maintain and clean, and their ability to control fermentation. They also last a long time and are very economical in the long-term. You will find them in almost every winery in the world.

A History of Wine Making Equipment

Using stainless steel equipment was not always the case, however. In fact, the oldest way to make wine was from clay containers. The Ancient Greeks used clay amphoras for fermenting, aging, and transporting wine until the Romans replaced them with wooden barrels in the first century AD.

Oak barrels were used widely until the early 1960s when Émile Peynaud, who is considered the father of modern oenology, advocated for the use of stainless steel tanks in winemaking. In 1961, the famous Bordeaux producer Chateau Haut Brion was one of the first wineries in the world to install stainless steel tanks. It did not take long for most other wineries to follow that example and nowadays, stainless steel tanks and containers can be found in pretty much every vineyard around the world.

Why Stainless Steel Became the Most Popular Tank in Winemaking

The advantages of stainless steel tanks are numerous and include:

Easy to maintain and clean.

Stainless steel is very low maintenance: it is rust-resistant, non-toxic, and free of zinc or lead. It is also easier to keep clean when compared to wooden barrels. This ensures a very low risk of contamination of the wine.

Lasts a long time.

Properly maintained, stainless steel containers will last almost indefinitely. This is due to their strong structure, polished surfaces, and the presence of chromium.

Easy to keep at the right temperature.

Stainless steel tanks allow the winemaker to perfectly control the temperature during brewing. The tanks are built with a surrounding chamber that holds coolant and with controls on the tank that allow the winemaker to maintain a certain temperature.

Neutral and versatile.

Stainless steel is a neutral material and does not allow for oxygen exchange like an oak barrel. This helps retain the fresh fruit aromas and flavours in wine, so they are good choices if the goal is to produce a fruit-driven and fresh style of wine to be consumed, generally, within a few years of production.

Stainless steel tanks are also versatile as they can be used for any step of the winemaking process including: fermenting, blending, aging, short-term holding, bottling, and long-term storage.

Can be customized to your needs.

Stainless steel tanks can be custom-made to your winery specifications, so you can get the exact sizes you need for your different vintages and for your budget. They can also be designed for a single purpose or multipurpose. They can have attachments for racking the wine into other containers.

Oak vs. Stainless Steel Wine Containers

One of the original reasons winemakers chose oak containers was they add flavours and change the tannins of wines to give the wine characteristics customers are looking for.

However, this tactic can be mimicked with stainless steel tanks – and most wineries do exactly that. You can easily add oak staves, chips, and dust in the tanks and even mimic the porosity of the wood barrels with micro-oxygenation. This helps create the very best of both worlds in a clean and controlled environment!

If you are looking for stainless steel tanks for your winery, contact Ability Fabricators and get a free quote. Tell us what you need, we will design a plan to get you precisely what your project requires.