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How to beginning using earthen pots for wine making


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I would like to know the beginning steps of using earthen vases for fermentation and wine making. Will it give it a mud  taste? Or is it superior to oak or glass barrels.  I know this isn’t exactly a ceramic specific question, but clay has been used for fermentation for thousands of years does anyone have knowledge on this? 

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I suspect that the long history of clay use in wine making is simply because for most of human history clay
has been the default choice for storage vessels and such. Wiki indicates amphora have been used since
neolithic times . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphora

Some reasons why you might want to use clay vessels in winemaking today are given in
https://www.winemag.com/2018/05/30/aging-wine-in-clay/
Clay is the happy medium between the two. Like oak, clay is porous, allowing for an exchange of oxygen.
Like steel, clay is a neutral material, so it doesn’t impart additional flavors.

Regards, Peter

 

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Interesting twist to the porosity story.

Kvevri – Wine Making in an Earthenware Jar 6000 B.C. https://winehistoryproject.org/kvevri-wine-making-in-an-earthenware-jar/
They used  a large clay jar that could hold 2,000 to 2,300 gallons of wine. (Giving a large volume to surface ratio, and minimising the effects of porosity.) 
Even so the large vessel was lined with bees’ wax to seal the interior walls and base to make it airtight which helped to protect the wine from spoiling.

More on historic & modern Georgian practice in https://www.bluedanubewine.com/pdf/qvevri_eng_Q.pdf
This includes details of the waxing process, and the importance of thorough cleaning.

Regards, Peter

PS snippet relating to one wine producer:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VXgDPNccjGgC&pg=PA139&lpg=PA139&dq=Cornelissen+epoxy++resin+wine&source=bl&ots=9Lg9ijwzPc&sig=ACfU3U3kYXFl1AcQrW4qX9vfmFNvk2M_Fg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjCprf0tbXjAhWMi1wKHa94DwIQ6AEwEXoECAgQAQt
image.png.0912791a292687bebfb54f3737db2a67.png

Blurb on Cornelissen at http://www.wineanorak.com/magma.htm

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Have to hurry up and make a vessel for my fresh cherry brandy mix then. The cherries are still green so I've got about 4 or 5 weeks.  It doesn't have to ferment but its an excuse to make a nice vessel.

6000 years ago making wine! That was an interesting article.

 

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  • 1 year later...
10 hours ago, Blackflag said:

Hey guys, I tried fermenting wine in a clay pot, but after 30 days now, it tastes very much like a strong vinegar.

I used an airlock, but did it turn this way because the clay pot is porous?

I think one of our posters was doingg this for a winemaker but I cannot bring her name to mind

A mid European technique I think.

I thought the vat had to be buried??

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/21/2021 at 12:29 PM, Blackflag said:

Hey guys, I tried fermenting wine in a clay pot, but after 30 days now, it tastes very much like a strong vinegar.

I used an airlock, but did it turn this way because the clay pot is porous?

In an earlier post...

Kvevri – Wine Making in an Earthenware Jar 6000 B.C. https://winehistoryproject.org/kvevri-wine-making-in-an-earthenware-jar/
They used  a large clay jar that could hold 2,000 to 2,300 gallons of wine. (Giving a large volume to surface ratio, and minimising the effects of porosity.) 
Even so the large vessel was lined with bees’ wax to seal the interior walls and base to make it airtight which helped to protect the wine from spoiling.

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On 5/21/2021 at 11:00 PM, Babs said:

I think one of our posters was doingg this for a winemaker but I cannot bring her name to mind

A mid European technique I think.

I thought the vat had to be buried??

Probably @NancyE , I wonder how she is progressing.

 

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