Horse Creek Winery Sanitation Supplies

If you operate a winery in the Southeast - or you are establishing one that wants to succeed like Horse Creek Winery - you know that the phrase "sanitation products" is not just a budget line. This is the system that will help determine whether this season's fermentations remain good clean or turn into vinegar, if your tanks will give you freshly picked fruit flavor or taste of yesterday's microbiological blunders, and if your production line manages to ship bottles of wine that will survive in the marketplace.

This guide is designed to break these products into categories: what they are, what winemaking stage they are used for and how much money is required for the purchase, allowing you create or replenish your sanitation process without any hassle. All prices are taken from the current lists of manufacturers and suppliers in the USA and other countries and are given in the general range not as single numbers, as there are many factors determining the final cost of the same type of fittings or chemical substance.

In summary: Sanitation materials at wineries consist of eight types of items: cleaning agents, sanitizing solutions, closed pipeline cleaning devices, sanitary tri-clamps, fittings and sanitary centrifugal pumps, food-safe silicone hoses for transferring liquids, filtration back covers and checking and testing devices.

Why Sanitation Supplies Are the Real Backbone of a Winery

Before emphasizing the importance of catalogs and price points, it is important to point out an obvious point about the nature of wine itself. The very essence of making wine is fermentation, a competition among microbial organisms for supremacy over the yeast that is used for inoculation so that everything else fails. This means that when a winemaker is not careful and allows the fermentation to be contaminated with wild yeasts, bacteria, and other types of microorganisms, the transfer pipes will end up in dirty conditions where their surfaces, dead panels, and biofilms will become breeding grounds for many different types of spoilage microorganisms that prefer to grow on contaminated surfaces.

In addition to causing problems related to fermentation, winemakers face serious challenges because of their business model. First of all, muscadine grapes have an extremely high content of sugar, with some of the sweetest varieties exceeding 22 or even 24 potential alcohol in the juice. Besides, the climate in Southern Georgia, where Horse Creek Winery is located, plays an important role in creating the perfect environment for spoilage microorganisms. During the harvesting period, it is usually hot and humid, which accelerates the activities of unwanted microorganisms that spoil the fermentation process in winemaking.

Like any other commercial winery operating in the United States, Horse Creek operates under TTB permits and is controlled by food-safety laws stipulated in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which underscores the importance of maintaining cleaning protocols and keeping the food-contact surfaces of equipment clean and sanitized. Only those wineries that show a high level of discipline in their cleaning can receive a good evaluation from the inspection agencies.

Finally, this is the issue of taste. Victory in the fermentation process can be achieved only if the process does not involve any chlorine-based sanitation products, which can potentially contaminate wine with TCA, the compound responsible for the associated aroma.

Category 1: Cleaning and Sanitizing Chemicals

Chemicals are used first in the cleaning process, and most wineries will have a four-part cleaning process, consisting of alkaline cleaning, acid descaling, sanitizing, and sometimes an oxidation product. Each of these processes has its own role and cannot substitute for each other.

Alkaline cleaners are the main substances used for cleaning the winery. They work by breaking down the organic deposits left by fermentation processes, such as yeast, grape residue, tannins, and potassium bitartrate, which is considered the most difficult contaminant to remove in wine-making. Alkaline cleaners come in both liquid and powder form and in containers of up to 1000 L. They are always used as a hot solution in a CIP cleaning cycle.

Once alkaline cleaning is done, acid cleaning follows. Acid cleaning is based on the use of nitric and/or phosphoric acid, which allows for the removal of inorganic deposits that are not removed by alkaline cleaners, and it also allows for the neutralization of the alkaline deposits on the surface of the winery so that the following sanitizing process can be carried out at the proper pH level.PAA refers to a mixture of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide which is normally sold in concentrations of around 5.3 % PAA + 22.5% H2O2 for CIP and it is available in concentrations of 15-16% as well for its use in tougher duties . It has the potential to offer disinfection against bacteria , yeast, molds and spores and is effective down to 34°F, which means that it can disinfect cold tanks as welland, most importantly from the point of view of wineries, it decomposes into acetic acid when destroyed to water, oxygen, and yielding no residues after the process has been performed. At concentrations below 500 ppm there is no rinsing needed. it does not cause damage to stainless steel at concentrations that would be considered normal, it is FDA approved for use in organic processing and it eliminates TCA associated with chlorine dispensed applications .

Speaking about SO2 , it deserves a mention for being a double acting agent , being both an antioxidant in wine as well as an old style sanitizer for equipment or tanks. Many small wineries still use the method of rinsing their tanks using sulfur solution from one use to another. Although it serves its purpose and is inexpensive as well as being a great familiar tool, SO2 by no means replaces PAA which is widely chosen for thorough microbial kill .

Iodophor is another type of sanitizer . It is used as part of the bottling line because of its speed, food contact safety and other things although it is not as common in winery because it may cause stains as compared to PAA.

In terms of pricing , a standard 5L jug costs from 170 to 260 dollars depending on whose brand is sold and in which region . On average midsized winery would expect to spend around 1000 to 3000 dollars on chemicals used in the course of the harvest season .

Category 2: CIP Systems and Spray Balls

CIP stands for clean-in-place which refers to a systematic cleaning process of equipment without disassembly. Within a winery, tanks, transfer pipelines, and pumps operate in looped connections so that cleaning agents can circulate throughout the whole drinking process while heat and the flow rate are regulated accordingly. In the case of a winery with 32 steel tanks, the usefulness of CIP technology lays in the fact that otherwise, multiple tanks would be cleaned manually — a tedious, unreliable, and hazardous process in many regards.

A typical cycle of CIP technology in a winery setting consists of the passage through a few stages: rinsing with hot water for about 5-10 minutes that aims at dirt removal, recirculation of hot alkaline cleaning agent to dissolve occurring organic and tartrates (10-30 minutes), rinsing with cold water until neutral pH is reached, PAA sanitizing process at the concentration of 100-500 ppm for 10-30 minutes, and optional final rinse depending on individual requirements (the process may be completed with no rinsing if the concentration is below 500 ppm). The entire process is carried out with a use of a CIP skid (a station with a pump, heating apparatus, and delivery systems) but a simpler version of a portable CIP cart may be used in wineries of smaller size.

The equipment used for cleaning purposes is represented by spray balls and rotary heads. A stationary spray ball sits at the top of the tank and allows for even spreading of cleaning agent along the inside surfaces of the tank; such a spray ball is priced at about $40-60. The use of rotary heads for the same cleaning purposes seems justified but requires greater financial investment to account for the stronger performance of these devices. Numerous wineries make use of spray balls installed on the top of all fermentation and storage tanks and thus are able to apply CIP technology after every batch of drinks produced.

Prices: The price of an individual spray ball varies between $40-150 depending on the type of spray ball. A CIP skid is priced at $8,500-12,000 while a typical fully automated multi-chemical station is priced at around $20,000-50,000. For wineries like Horse Creek, one or two CIP carts along with stationary spray balls stationed on top of every tank should be enough; the investment will pay off soon given that the first season of work with the equipment will prove to be rewarding.

Category 3: Sanitary Fittings (Tri-Clamp) — the Plumbing That Makes It All Possible

This is where the success or failure of any sanitation procedure depends upon because the layout of your plumbing system determines whether cleanliness will really reach all surfaces. In wineries, the common standard is the tri-clamp (tri-clover) connection: it consists of two grooved ferrules attached to the upper parts of pipes or tank ports with the help of welding, and a gasket placed in between, and a hinged clamp that is used to press the parts together. The tri-clamp fittings are devoid of threads, meaning that there will be no chance for catching the wine, dirt, and microorganisms there.The design principles behind a sanitary fitting come down to: no crevices, smooth surfaces, and complete drainability.

This equipment contains a small collection of components, and every winery has access to them:

Clamps — the mechanism used to fasten two pieces together. The price is $3-$15 each. Regular use of 1.5” clamps will give about $7 of expense.
Gaskets — are the seal made of rubber between two ferrules. EPDM material is used in general ($1.50 for 1.5”), whereas PTFE/Teflon is used in applications where aggressive chemicals are involved ($3.50). Silicone gaskets are used in high-temperature applications. It is important to understand that gaskets are consumables and should be replaced on time instead of waiting until they leak.
Ferrules — are the stub ends with grooves, welded on to pipes and ports of tanks. The price varies between $5-25 depending on its size and materials. Thus, ferrules are the cheapest and most often changed parts of the equipment.
Elbows, tees and reducers — are applied when it is necessary to change the direction of flow of when pipes of different diameter are connected: the 45°/90° elbow costs $16-55, while the tee is $20-60 and concentric reducer is $25-75.
End caps — are used to close off the unused ports. Their price varies from $3-30.
Specialty fittings — are represented by sight glasses ($30-80), sample valves ($30-40) as well as butterfly valves ($50-250).

The sizing convention is good to know about before making purchases. Commercial wineries and breweries typically use 1.5” and 2” tri-clamp for all main transfer lines, while 3” is preferred for high-volume channels and tank openings, and the very reduced 0.5”-1” range for sampling taps and instruments used. Furthermore, it is good to remember that the material’s importance equals that of the size: 304 stainless steel is good for wine processing because using 316L stainless steel with the added molybdenum makes it able to withstand the destruction from the years of action of aggressive cleaning agents and sour wines.Our 304 vs 316L selection guide walks through when each grade is worth the money, and our guide to measuring sanitary fittings covers the sizes and dimensions you need to spec a line correctly.

Cost breakdown: Since these items are of commodity nature, price discipline applies. The price range for tri-clamp fittings is quite large: premium brands like Swagelok and Alfa Laval charge $60-2000 per fitting, while factory-direct suppliers like Eagle charge about $16-1250 for their fittings. A full tri-clamp kit for a medium winery with all necessary clamps, gaskets, ferrules, elbows, tees, reducers, end caps, and various valves for twelve pipelines can be bought for about $1500-4000 at factory-direct pricing. If you are upgrading an existing system, our cost-to-replace analysis breaks the brand-by-brand price comparison down.

Category 4: Valves and Pumps

The wine needs to move between tanks but needs to do so in a way that ensures its quality. When it comes to the types of valves that are used in winery piping, butterflies and ball valves are the most common. Butterfly valves come in sizes for pipes sized at around 1.5-3 inches, and the cost of an initial butterfly valve begins at about 50 dollars. Ball valves are used for sample port operations as well as in slow-flowing systems; therefore, a detailed comparison of the benefits of using these types of valves can be found in the article called "Tri-Clamp Ball Valves". Various kinds of diaphragm valves are used when strict sterilization is required; these valves are needed just before bottling.

The kinds of pumps that are used in winemaking process are almost all sanitary centrifugal pumps — straight, easy-to-clean pumps that carry washing water, must and wine. The cost of sanitary centrifugal pumps made of 304 or 316L stainless steel and fitted with tri-clamp connection pipes varies considerably and is between 300-2000 dollars, depending on the brand and the motor; the actual price of the pump will normally not exceed 1000 dollars.

Category 5: Transfer Hoses and Tubing

Stainless steel piping may serve as the base, but flexible hosing is what ties tanks to pumps, filters, and bottling lines — and flexible piping is also the most ignored danger when it comes to cleanliness at many wineries. The best option is high-quality platinum-cured silicone hose: it has no odor, is free from phthalates and plasticizers, is resistant to cleaning-in-place chemicals, tolerates steam sterilization, and prevents the alteration of wine flavors during the course of transportation. Compliant with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, platinum silicone tubes can withstand temperatures from -40°C to 200°C and have an internal diameter of 1-3" for helping a winery.

What you will have to pay: Industrial-grade silicone transfer hoses cost about $3.50-25 per meter depending on the tubing diameter and whether it has reinforcements. Small-diameter tubing for pump systems and sample lines costs less than $1 per foot. Transfer hoses have to be replaced regularly due to the exposure to ultraviolet light and repeated cycles of cleaning with steam, while the hoses should be washed and stored dry.

Category 6: Filtration Supplies

Filtration is the area where sanitation merges with product quality, because filtration means the elimination of microorganisms and haze which have been kept in check during the whole winemaking process. Nowadays, wineries follow a multi-step approach. The initial form of filtration takes place where gross lees and yeast are removed using polypropylen cartridges rated at 1-3 microns after fermentation, thus protecting expensive membranes used later in the filtration process. The second stage of filtration takes place before bottling. This stage is characterized by the use of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane filtration with the pore size of 0.45 microns (0.2 microns can be used for the preventive filtration as an extra safe solution), which results in a stable outcome and allows bottling at low amounts of free SO2. The current trend in winery filtration is the replacement of the old diatomaceous earth plate-and-frame filtration by crossflow and cartridge filtration in response to the food safety regulations and sustainability requirements.

What is the price: Cartridge prices vary depending on the size and microns it is rated for. For instance, 10-inch cartridge costs $45-65, while 30-inch PES cartridge rated at 0.45 microns costs $150-300. The price of 10-inch sterile cartridges starts from $35-125. Replacement costs for PES crossflow filtration systems cost about $400-900, while ceramic replacement can cost about $1200-1800. The price of the crossflow systems is by far the most expensive component of the winery equipment: crossflow systems suitable for boutique wineries (less than 10,000 cases) can cost $25,000-60,000, while the integrated system for 50,000 bottles producer can cost about $80,000-180,000.

Category 7: Barrel and Tank Cleaning Supplies

After the tanks, we have to deal with barrels. Oak barrels are not capable of being CIP'd because it is impossible to pass the hot caustic solution through porous oak; therefore, it must be processed on separate lines, including hot water rinse, caustic barrel cleaner — which removes tartrate, then rinsing until neutralization, and applying either SO2 or PAA before reusing the barrel. The automated barrel washers make filling, soaking, and rinsing of the barrels easier and should be installed in any winery with large number of barrels. When cleaning the stainless steel tanks the pressure rated manway gaskets should be oval checked since the damages gaskets may lead to contamination of the tanks, which cannot be fixed by cleaning chemicals.

Category 8: Sampling and Monitoring Supplies

To regulate an issue, you need to measure it, and so a sanitation program needs verification methods. Sample valves on tanks enable you to assess water clarity and pH level of rinse water while cleaning-in-place (CIP); a simple pH meter will confirm that the rinse water reached neutral pH level before applying sanitizer; and ATP swabbing ($2-5 per swab with portable luminometers costing $1,000-2,500) lets you know that your surfaces are biologically clean. A lot of wineries have microbiological kits for tank and wine sampling, the significant benefit of which is that these verification tools do not cost that much.

Where Each Supply Fits in the Production Line

To tie it together, here is how the categories map onto the actual winemaking calendar:

Production stage	Sanitation risk	Supplies that handle it
Harvest & crush	Moldy or dirty fruit, wild yeast on equipment	Washdown hose, food-grade tubing, alkaline cleaner for crusher/destemmer
Fermentation	Wild yeast, acetic acid bacteria in high-sugar must	CIP spray balls + alkaline cleaner after each batch; PAA sanitizer before racking
Racking & transfers	Biofilm in lines, cross-tank contamination	Tri-clamp fittings, butterfly valves, sanitary centrifugal pump, silicone transfer hose
Clarification & pre-filtration	Blocked filters, microbial growth in lees	PP pre-filters (1-3 µm), CIP of filter housing, sight glasses
Aging (tanks & barrels)	Brett, lactic spoilage, tartrate scale	Tartrate-removing alkaline wash, barrel washer, SO2/barrel treatment
Bottling	The last point of entry for spoilage	0.45 µm sterile filtration, PAA sanitized bottling line, iodophor for small parts

Buyer's Guide: Sizing, Materials, and a Starter Budget

When you are entering this line of buying for the first time, there are three critical things to consider that act as a basis for everything else. Material: you can start with 304 stainless for handling wines in general; and 316L for tougher applications that deal with energetic CIP chemicals, a lot of wine, or exposure to coastal conditions. Size of fixtures: it’s better to stick to 1.5” and 2” tri-clamp dimensions, which will ensure compatibility between hoses, valves, and pumps without the need for adapters which will make dead ends in the pipes. Schedule of gaskets: go for EPDM for standard applications; have PTFE in stock for chemical duties; and change gaskets on a pre-established schedule, not only when leaks occur.

An approximate figure for a sane budget of a small to medium-scale winery’s clean up system: $1,000-3,000 for chemicals; $800-2,000 for CIP spray balls; $1,500-4,000 for tri-clamp spare parts; $1,200-3,000 for spare pumps and gaskets; $500-2,500 for hoses; and $800-2,500 for filter photos and cartridges. All in all: about $7,000-17,000 will be needed to get a good sanitation program set up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best sanitizer for a winery?

In the sanitation industry, peracetic acid (PAA) has long been considered the benchmark for tank cleaning and equipment sanitation since it provides broad-spectrum protection against bacteria, molds, spores, and yeasts. The product is effective at low temperatures (around 34°F), does not leave a residue, does not lead to corrosion of stainless steel surface at regular working concentrations, and is free of any risk with TCA and corking which chlorine-based products face. The typical concentration of the product used for sanitation activity falls in a range of 100-500 ppm and is applied when alkaline wash is already complete.

Can I use bleach or chlorine sanitizer in a winery?

Stay away from chlorine; the residuals will only react with phenolic compounds in wine to create TCA, the chemical responsible for cork taint, and is extremely difficult to rinse from porous surfaces and pipelines. For this reason, modern winery methods utilize PAA and alkaline chemical alternatives that do not contain chlorine.

How often should winery tanks be cleaned?

Clean and sanitize every tank that had been used for any wine, must, or lees before it can be reused, in order to clean use it will at most have undergone a rinse, alkaline wash, rinse, and PAA sanitization treatment once after each filling. Sanitization of storage tanks should be tied to the time they have been empty; barrels are washed and sulfated every 3 or 6 months depending on when they have been last filled.

What size tri-clamp fittings do wineries use?

The uniform diameter of hose in accordance with industry practices is 1.5" and 2" tri-clamp for the main flow lines. The diameter of 3" is preferred for bigger tanks and high-flow pipes. For sampling devices, hose diameter of 0.5 inch-1 inch is used. Using these sizes for your entire system guarantees that no parts have to be adapted and there will be complete compliance of hoses, gaskets and pumps.

How much do winery sanitation supplies cost?

A full program for a small or medium-sized winery is priced at around $7,000 to $17,000, which includes chemicals for the season, CIP spray balls and cart, tri-clamp parts, pumps and hoses, basic filtration equipment, and verification tools. The main recurring cost is represented by chemicals ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per season, as well as replacements of gaskets and filter cartridges.

References

Conclusion

Horse Creek Winery is an ironic representative of the whole category because of its dull operation: there are 32 stainless vessels, sweet muscadine juices, hot humid climate, and local reputation at stake. It is impossible to manage without a sanitation plan that is built around supplies such as PAA and alkaline chemistry for chemical cleaning, CIP spray balls and cart for the labor aspect, tri-clamp fittings and gaskets for plumbing, sanitary pumps and platinum silicone hose for transportation, cartridges for the finishing part of the process, and checking tools for documentation.

Market prices in the industry are stable and transparent, and materials options 304 or 316L, EPDM versus PTFE, or 1½” versus 2” are the same for all the wineries. To buy necessary supplies once, keep them standardized, and the cleaning process will take care of itself.