The Wine Sector and Granzotto
Wine production is a widespread and ancient activity, with its origins dating back over 7,000 years to the Neolithic period. Today, most commercially available wine is produced on an industrial scale, utilizing machinery and industrial plants.
In recent years, innovations in automation and a deeper understanding of winemaking processes have led to increasingly advanced technological systems. These systems enable the production of higher-quality wine through systematic and reproducible procedures, handling large production volumes while ensuring the safety of all operators involved.
For over 50 years, Granzotto has been designing and constructing industrial systems for wine production, accumulating significant expertise in the enological sector. A recent project commissioned by a renowned wine cooperative in the autonomous province of Bolzano allowed Granzotto to implement several advanced technological solutions, creating what can be described as a modern industrial winery.
The Must Distribution System
This case study focuses on the design and construction of the must distribution system. The must, exiting the destemmer-crusher (a machine used for crushing grapes and removing stems), is transferred to fermentation tanks where fermentation takes place. Depending on the desired winemaking method, the must may also pass through a membrane press.
Must distribution is a delicate operation because the product being transferred is a biphasic mixture: a liquid phase (juice extracted from the grape pulp) and a solid phase (grape skins and seeds). The transfer of biphasic mixtures requires the installation of specialized equipment and components, different from those typically used in the beverage industry.
Process Automation
A defining characteristic of a modern industrial winery is undoubtedly the presence of machinery and equipment managed with a high degree of automation. Automation does not necessarily eliminate all manual operations; for instance, in this case, grape harvesting remains a manual operation to ensure the integrity of the grapes until they reach the crusher.
However, high automation levels introduce automated procedures where manual work adds little value or might even compromise product quality. One such operation where automation adds value is the cleaning of the plant using CIP (clean-in-place) systems tailored for the enology sector. These systems are capable of removing even solid residues, such as grape skins and seeds, from the internal surfaces of equipment.
Managing plant automation becomes particularly complex when, as often happens, the project involves multiple suppliers. In this project, Granzotto managed the integration of third-party equipment, including the destemmer-crusher, press, and screw conveyors installed in the winery. Additionally, due to the high number of valves in the must distribution system, centralized control was achieved by installing a fieldbus system, avoiding the need to connect each valve individually to the central control panel. The fieldbus also streamlined the pneumatic valve control system by enabling the use of significantly smaller-diameter air pipes.
The choice of sensors was also critical for automation. For must distribution, the presence of a biphasic mixture containing solid components required careful consideration. To prevent the solid components (e.g., grape skins near liquid presence sensors) from generating false signals, capacitive optical sensors were installed to overcome this challenge.
Granzotto developed the automation system to manage the entire integrated system and obtained a CE marking certificate for the entire plant in compliance with the Machinery Directive.
Space Optimization
A modern winery is also characterized by refined architecture and optimized space management. This particular case is exemplary: to maximize the available space on the winery floor, a unique solution was adopted for positioning the heat exchanger used for must cooling. The 12-meter-long tube-in-tube heat exchanger was suspended from the winery ceiling, thereby creating additional space for installing more fermentation tanks.
The installation required preliminary studies to evaluate safety and seismic compliance. To provide a comprehensive turnkey service, Granzotto developed the solution based on the enologist’s requirements and handled every step: supplying the equipment, conducting static and dynamic analyses to obtain seismic certification, and finally installing the heat exchanger using tailored procedures to ensure site safety.
Granzotto Turnkey Systems
The details provided illustrate the capabilities of the Granzotto team in implementing a modern industrial winery. The company’s strength lies in its ability to manage turnkey projects—projects where Granzotto acts as the sole point of contact for the client and the enologist, listens to their needs, proposes customized solutions, assumes full responsibility for the project, coordinates suppliers, and oversees the installation and commissioning of the plant.
Every operation is managed by combining over 50 years of experience in the enological sector with continuous staff training in the most advanced solutions available on the market.
Discover how to modernize the transfer of crushed grapes in your winery.
Schedule a consultation with a Granzotto technician.
