When people think of wineries, they often imagine small, family-owned operations that still employ ancient techniques. And while that is still true for some companies, winemaking has advanced over time along with other industries. Even though the basic process hasn’t changed in a few thousand years, the need to eliminate waste and improve efficiency is just as important for wineries as for any other production company. To stay in business, you must be able to increase profit margins.
One way that wineries have moved into the twenty-first century relates to the way aging is accomplished. Without access to cavernous underground cellars, above-ground facilities need to control both the temperature and the humidity of the environment.
Advantages of Industrial Humidifiers for Your Winery
Industrial humidifiers have changed the production dynamic for winemakers. In fact, new technology can mean the difference between nearly 14 percent evaporation over a two-year period or practically zero. The right humidification system provides measurable benefits for wineries. The following three areas see the largest improvements.
Controls Humidity for Wine Making
Proper levels of humidity in a wine cellar are crucial to the wine making process. The ideal level of humidity in a wine cellar is between 50% and 70%. Anything more or less can affect the quality of the wine or delay the aging process. Once the wine is bottled, it is important to continue to maintain this level of humidity. If the humidity is too high it can result in mold. If the humidity is too low, the cork can dry out, affecting the taste of the wine and causing wine to be lost.
Even if you aren’t a professional wine maker with a barrel room, you can use your own basement as a wine cellar to let your favorite bottles age. At Smart Fog, we make commercial humidifiers strong enough for wineries and also safe to use at home. Whatever you need, Smart Fog is here to keep your wine consistent and delicious.
Reduces Evaporation Rates
The barrels used to store wine during the aging process are constructed of organic materials, specifically wood. While the type of wood used to age the wine influences the flavor and bouquet, because it is a carbon-based container, the surrounding atmosphere will cause it to either expand or contract. This happens because the wood itself absorbs and adjusts to the amount of moisture in the air.
When the air has too little relative humidity, dry casks allow the wine to evaporate. The problem is so prevalent that “topping off” is the term used to replace wine that has vaporized. Evaporation reduces the alcohol content of the wine too.
European wine production is typically performed in underground cellars. This helps maintain a constant humidity of approximately 60 percent. Newer facilities rely on industrial humidifiers to reduce evaporation rates. A 70-95 percent relative humidity level significantly cuts vaporization, reducing the need to top off barrels. This lowers the cost of production and also reduces the chance of accidentally mixing batches.
Helps Maintain Temperatures—Lowers Energy Consumption
Industrial humidifiers do more than control the moisture content in the air, they also help relegate indoor temperatures. Maintaining an even climate is essential for wine production, meaning that large heating and cooling units are required.
However, wineries can lower their energy use with a technologically advanced humidification system. Relative humidity levels help regulate temperatures. The subsequent result means that your HVAC units draw and use less energy. Operating costs are reduced and your asset lifespan is increased. You pay for fewer maintenance trips and see improved performance through steadier temperature control.
Eliminates Contamination
In very damp surroundings, wine barrels can support mold growth. Their organic construction, heavy humidity, and dark areas make the perfect breeding ground for mold spores and other airborne bacteria. Older model humidifiers generate wet fog that can settle on surfaces inside the facility.
New technologies have established a true “dry fog.” This means that you gain 100 percent evaporation from a droplet that is 4.2 microns in size. Water particles cannot adhere to the wine barrels. Moreover, intelligent sensors and new distribution techniques ensure that humidity levels remain constant. Mold and other contaminates won’t have a chance to impact production.
Wineries still follow the same essential production techniques that have been used for centuries. However, it’s not cost-effective to construct new underground facilities, so many companies employ climate-controlled buildings for aging wine. Problems occur when humidity levels fluctuate.
Industrial humidifiers create money saving solutions for modern wineries. By increasing and maintaining specific moisture content in the air, less topping off is required, energy usage is reduced, and contaminants like mold are eliminated. You’ll see the difference an advanced humidifier can make for improving your bottom line.
Gives the Barrel Room Proper Humidity
If you have ever been in the basement of a home, then you know that basements are naturally more humid than the rest of the house. The same goes at a winery. The underground caves of the past typically provided the proper humidity needed for wine to go through the aging process. Even though many barrel rooms are now located above ground, the underground humidity can be replicated with a SmartFog commercial humidifier.
A Commercial Humidifier Requires Less Topping
Another benefit of investing in a humidifier for the barrel room is that it will require winemakers to do less topping. If the aging room is not humid enough, the wine will evaporate out of the barrels and need to be topped off. Winemakers will save time and money when investing in a humidifier, as they will not have to top off the barrels as frequently.
Elimination of Mold, Bacteria, and Dust
Another important reason for winery owners to invest in a commercial humidifier is that it helps eliminate mold, bacteria, and dust from the aging room. As a winemaker, you do not want these harmful things getting on the wine barrels. These particles can ultimately disturb the alcohol percentage of the wine. Eliminating these toxins also makes the aging room a safer place for winery employees to work. Overall, the humidifier will make the room a lot cleaner. Therefore, less dust will accumulate on the barrels.
No Condensation
One of the huge benefits of a Smart Fog system is that it does not leave condensation behind on surfaces in the room. Our humidifiers produce micron droplets. In fact, they are the smallest in the industry. Micron droplets are important because the smaller the droplet, the longer it will stay airborne. Since it is airborne for longer, efficient evaporation occurs. The droplets evaporate completely into the air before ever reaching the surface, thus achieving a 100% evaporation rate. Why is this important for wine cellars? In a barrel aging room, it could be disastrous if the outsides of the barrels were getting wet from condensation. Wooden barrels are porous so they should not be getting wet from the outside. This would greatly affect the quality of the wine and the overall aging process.
While some wineries have migrated to using bottle caps, many purists still firmly believe in using cork, whether for aesthetic or other reasons. If bottles are stored under dry conditions, corks may shrink somewhat, which could lead to problems with sealing. A wine cellar humidifier not only prevents sealing issues – it also lowers ambient temperatures so that wines are kept under ideal conditions. A single fog system with automation capabilities can keep an entire storage facility humidified.
Double Cooling Effect
In addition to maintaining specific levels of humidity, a wine cellar should also have a room temperature between 45- and 55-degrees Fahrenheit. Aging or storing wine in a room that is too hot or too cold can ruin the wine. Smart Fog humidifiers have an optional feature where the nozzles can generate a strong vacuum which cools both the air and the water. Also, the quick evaporation of the droplets takes heat from the air. A lot of winery owners get cooling units which can remove humidity out of the air. Instead, invest in a Smart Fog system which maintains humidity while also cooling the room temperature.
Wine Storage Humidity Control With Smart Fog
Wineries can easily control the humidity of their facilities with wine storage humidity systems by Smart Fog. Our system provides humidity without wetness that is beneficial in several ways. When wine barrels are properly humidified without wetness, there are no bacteria, no disease, and no dust. Evaporation from the barrels is reduced by more than 18% when they are humidified properly, which leads to less wasted product and more profits. The alcohol content of the wine is also affected by evaporation, so preventing it keeps the alcohol level stable.
