Global warming is wreaking havoc on vineyards from California to Australia, with even more temperate regions being affected. Find out how TITAN is helping winemakers in Austria preserve their grapes and keep their cool.
THE CHALLENGE
Founded in 1114, Stift Klosterneuburg is Austria’s oldest winery. It maintains vineyards in the east of the country and is particularly busy in late summer when the grapes need to be harvested to be made into wine.
However, over the past decade, global warming has emerged as a new adverse factor that must increasingly be taken into account in the already complex winemaking process.
Winemakers strive to harvest grapes at the right time to ensure the perfect balance of sugars, acids and flavor compounds . While they have always had a relatively short window of opportunity to harvest, they are now being forced to start and finish earlier as summers get longer and hotter.
Due to the high temperatures that prevail in the summer, grapes ripen faster , resulting in harvest dates being moved a few weeks earlier than the traditional schedule.
This is a problem if the grapes cannot be processed immediately. Prolonged exposure to heat can quickly fade aromas and cause other damage until processing time.
The issue is production capacity. To begin the necessary fermentation process, the grapes must be turned into must and transferred to tanks . However, most winemakers have limited equipment.
As winemakers across Austria and beyond are finding, the solution is portable cold storage units .
THE SOLUTION
The Stift Klosterneuburg estate has been using cold storage as an intermediate stage for several years, but 2024 was the first time they worked with TITAN. The estate rented two 20-foot ArcticStores from our team in Austria.
As the company said, this would offer its winemakers greater flexibility during the harvest .
She also recognized that cold storage containers could be used as a place to house small tanks of fresh white grape must , allowing her to control the necessary fermentation process to a certain extent.
SURRENDER
TITAN has a huge fleet of delivery trucks around the world. In Australia, tipper trucks, where the container slides onto the body, are widespread. In Europe, Hiab-type vehicles are more common.
These versatile trucks have a small crane on the back , which can easily lift a container into place.
The Hiab vehicles were the ideal solution for Austria, as they gave our teams the ability to place the containers exactly where the customer wanted them at their two vineyards. One was placed outside a wine production area , while the other was temporarily placed in the parking lot of the Stift Klosterneuburg estate.
Although the grapes remained in the cold storage unit (at 5 °C) for only one night , the Stift Klosterneuburg estate team believes that this small but important step will positively affect this year’s production.
THE RESULTS
TITAN Austria noted that requests from winemakers increased significantly in 2024, which is a direct consequence of climate change. A total of 19 winemakers rented 20- or 40-foot containers for a short period (4-6 weeks), explaining that they offered a valuable “safety valve” during the busy harvest season.
Peter Philipp, production manager at the Stift Klosterneuburg estate, says: “Refrigeration is a great way to preserve the aromas of the grapes . It is also a non-invasive antimicrobial protection strategy, while reducing the risk of unwanted spontaneous fermentation.
“We want fermentation to start after the grapes are crushed. With cold storage we gain some time .”
Cold storage also offers winemakers a safety net in other situations where grapes must be picked all at once , such as when a storm or hail is forecast.
It also gives winemakers a time leeway in case unforeseen problems arise, such as breakdowns in processing equipment.
WHY ARCTICSTORE COLD STORAGE CONTAINERS ARE IDEAL FOR WINEMAKER
TITAN’s rental terms for cold storage units are renowned for their flexibility . This means that the customer can rent a unit for a short period of time at any time, which is a perfect fit for winemakers .
ArcticStore units can be installed indoors or outdoors , so they can be installed inside the grape crushing area or just outside it. They can quickly develop the temperature you need and maintain it for as long as required.
The containers ensure complete protection from pests. Furthermore, the possibility of 24/7 remote monitoring via the SmartArctic platform offers even greater peace of mind.
In addition, ArcticStore units feature next-generation insulation and cooling technology to keep energy consumption to a minimum.
The newest models, which feature the “ArcticStore Tropical” logo, use up to 20% less energy than TITAN’s already energy-efficient ArcticStore units made just a few years ago.
For wineries that care about cost and the environment , ArcticStore units offer benefits on both counts.
Note : The demand for ArcticStore units at TITAN stations around the world increases every summer . Our customers need these units to cool drinks and food at festivals , to store ice cream and other summer consumables in supermarkets, and to keep the new harvest fruit in top condition.
If your winery is experiencing the effects of global warming and you foresee that renting one or two ArcticStore units for a short period next summer could help, we suggest you reach out to one of our teams as soon as possible .
Contact us today!
See also: TITAN helps Greek wineries preserve grapes for rosé wine
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