Defranceschi Turns Barrels on their Heads with New Ceramic Feature

WineBusiness Monthly - Winemaking

Explore Defranceschi’s range of winemaking solutions, including wine presses, tanks, grape receiving equipment, and our custom-designed wine tanks. Discover our expertise in winery architecture and design, with displays showcasing our unique blend of artistry and technical excellence.

Our team will be available to answer your questions and provide personalized guidance. Matt Brennecke, our Head of New Equipment Sales has decades of experience as a winemaker using Defranceschi equipment. Leonardo Valenti, our Technical Lead and Parts & Service Manager, has a lifetime of experience working on Defranceschi presses and receiving equipment. Together they can use that firsthand knowledge to answer your questions and help you find the right equipment for your workflow and winemaking style.

Defranceschi USA
WIN Expo Booth: 337

For more than 50 years, Defranceschi has been providing the winemaking world with innovation by combining technology and precision, knowledge and passion, all with one overriding goal: to optimize the work that goes into each bottle by providing solutions with cutting edge technology and design.

The respect for traditions has been the basis of Château d'Yquem's wine making philosophy for over two centuries – and its "#sustainability" is the proof of their passion for ancient winemaking processes!

Living in harmony with nature is a necessity since the grape harvest at Yquem relies entirely on what is paradoxically one of the most important vineyard pests, Botrytis cinérea.
Château d'Yquem produces an especial variety of wine called Ygrec, a balanced mixture of Sémillon and Sauvignon.

Defranceschi always pays great attention to details. In this case we wanted to remind of the estate symbol, the letter Y, as you can see in the 4th photo.

Clos Culombu is an estate located in Corsica, founded by the Suzzoni family in 1973.
The whole #vineyard is cultivated by organic farming and biodynamic practices.

Their decision to work together with the Corsican centre of viticultural #research, CRVI (Centre de Recherche Viticole de Corse) can be considered as one of their major strength, indeed they planted over 10 forgotten varieties on the domaine in order to understand them and assimilate the winemaking methods necessary to make them popular again. 

This week, Defranceschi will be displaying an entirely new product to the world at 2026 Unified Wine and Grape Symposium.

Our ceramic barrel heads not only reduce cellar loss/evaporation through the head of the barrel, but they also keep the interaction with oak to the premium toasted wood in the longer staves of the barrel. 

Embedded in the ceramic head is an induction coil that can be used to keep individual barrels at the proper temperature for malolactic fermentation. More info about our barrels here: https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/304438

Find Defranceschi in booth F1. We will also have a ceramic walled wine tank and one of our wine presses on display. 

Join Defranceschi at the Eastern Winery Exposition, taking place March 25-27! Stop by booth 130 and say hello!

Learn more: https://easternwineryexposition.com/

• Technologically advanced presses designed for user ease.
• Crafted entirely in stainless steel for durability and purity.
• Open drum or closed drum options for versatile production.
• Customizable accessories to meet unique needs.
• Extended warranty up to three harvest seasons.

Defranceschi is proud to exhibit at the 2024 Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California January 24-25th. 

Come see us in Booth #1818 for the newest innovations in wine press technology, winemaking equipment, and the best custom-designed wine tanks. We offer complete winery design working with your architects or ours.

Visit Us in Booth #604

Visit Defranceschi in booth #604 at WINExpo to get a look at the JP22 open drum wine press with an easy dump juice vat. No more bins or shovels required for getting rid of skins and seeds after pressing. Simply empty the press into the vat, pick it up with a forklift and pull the lever to dump. The vat resets itself when you lower it to the ground and it is ready to go again after a quick rinse. The Defranceschi booth will also feature examples of our unique design tanks and winery design projects.

Cellese has a working methodology which is totally different from any other winery, i.e: each customer owns four or five wine barriques which are located in their private tasting room.

Once a year their customers embark on a journey to Tuscany. They meet together with the producer Cellese in the tasting room and together with the enologist they make the wine “assemblage” by mixing wines in a glass, obtaining different results. They go on tasting these results until they reach a wine considered perfect both by the customer and the producer/enologist. After that, they choose the “assemblage” and the corresponding barrique number which contains it and decide the quantity of wine which will be produced in that same tasting room. In the case of a wine which has been assembled for a season when a particular event will take place (for example a son’s wedding, birthday etc), specific packaging and bottles will be designed and sent to the final destination. There could be seasons when a specific event won’t be involved, but a private label will be packaged instead.

Moreover, every customer owns a quota of their own wine produced in Italy.

This tasting room is open just for these partners/barriques owners and not for the public.

Designed by Defranceschi, 6 flacons positioned on a wooden support, (capacity 250lt) specific sepage/terroir ready to be “assembled” per glass are stored. In the 6 cylindrical tanks which are positioned on a metal structure, the “assembled wines” ready to be bottled are stored.

Please visit www.defranceschiusa.com to see more examples of custom winery design projects and wine tanks.

Defranceschi USA, wine equipment manufacturer and distributor, has relocated their Head of New Equipment Sales to Portland, Oregon. Matt Brennecke, a renowned winemaker from Missouri, has been a valued member of the Defranceschi USA team since joining as the Head of New Equipment Sales in 2021, with his territory covering all of North America. Brennecke has recently been relocated to the Pacific Northwest to support Defranceschi's efforts in the region. Brennecke brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role, having worked in the wine industry for over two decades.

Defranceschi USA is a leading manufacturer of wine production equipment, offering state-of-the-art technology and top-quality machinery for wineries of all sizes. With Brennecke on board, the company aims to expand its reach and establish a stronger presence in the Pacific Northwest market.

Brennecke's experience in winemaking and his extensive network of industry contacts make him an ideal fit for this role. He has spent years working with wineries of all sizes, from small boutique operations to large-scale commercial producers. He understands the unique challenges that winemakers face and is committed to helping them find the right equipment to meet their needs.

"I am excited to be supporting Defranceschi's efforts in the Pacific Northwest and to help winemakers in this region achieve their goals," said Brennecke. "Defranceschi's commitment to quality and innovation is second to none, and I look forward to working with wineries to find the right solutions for their equipment needs."

Brennecke will be based in Portland, Oregon and will work closely with wineries throughout the region to identify their equipment needs and help them find the right equipment solutions. He will also be responsible for building relationships with new customers and expanding Defranceschi USA's presence in the market.

"We are thrilled to have Matt leading our new equipment sales efforts in the Pacific Northwest," said Chris Larsen, Head of Operations for Defranceschi USA. "His knowledge of the industry and his passion for winemaking make him the ideal person to support our efforts in this region."

For more information on Defranceschi USA and their range of wine production equipment, visit their website at www.defranceschiusa.com.

Email: Matthew.Brenecke@SacmiGroup.com - Phone: (515) 423-4844

On March 15 -16, Defranceschi will be in booth 203 at the largest wine related trade show on the East Coast, the Eastern Winery Exposition, in Lancaster, PA. There will be over 200 booths with vendors from every aspect of the wine industry. 

Defranceschi is a winery equipment manufacturing company producing wine presses, wine tanks and fermenters, grape receiving equipment, design tanks and complete winery design services. The booth will display examples of design wineries and tanks, and information about the winemaking equipment Defranceschi offers.

For information, contact Matt Brennecke, Head of Equipment Sales, at matthew.brennecke@sacmigroup.com or visit https://easternwineryexposition.com/

Defranceschi will be displaying a new Jp20 open drum wine press. This press features ultra-clean design with a direct drive drum. No messy chains. The press has a programable touch screen control panel. This press comes with a variety of optional components to suit different winemaking styles. For this year we are debuting our new dump-ready juice vat with fork pockets and a dump trigger. No more shoveling must or dumping into bins. evacuate the juice, empty the press and take the whole pan away to dump pomace.

We will also have information about grape receiving equipment, tanks, design tanks and complete winery design services. Samples of the unique pigmented stainless steel tank finishes will be available. Video displays will show our design tanks and the SACMI bag-in-box filling systems.

Defranceschi USA
Unified Symposium Booth: 1919

For more than 50 years, Defranceschi has been providing the wine making world with innovation by combining technology and precision, knowledge and passion, all with one overriding goal: to optimize the work that goes into each bottle by providing solutions with cutting edge technology and design.

Presses – open and closed drum from 20hl to 320hl

Tanks – custom made to fit any environment, standard, automated, or colorful design tanks available

Crush and grape receiving equipment

Service and support – We carry parts for what we sell and pride ourselves on our quick service. Annual pre-harvest service and emergency repair available.

Defranceschi will be in booth #604 at the upcoming WinExpo trade show. We will have one of our JP22 presses with us, featuring a mirror polished interior, programmable touch screen control panel, chainless direct drive gear motor, and 'Ultra-Clean' design. We will also display the array of colors our custom designed tanks are available in as well as some of the wineries we have designed and installed custom tanks in. Receive day of show discounts on new equipment purchases by talking to a member of our sales team.

Join us in booth 604 and use code DEF604 for a free trade show pass. https://wineindustryexpo.com/

At Defranceschi USA, we recently revamped a 30 year old press for a customer. The press was stripped of all of its components, media blasted, and rebuilt with all new parts and upgraded with current electronics and a touch screen control panel.

This press is with the customer now and ready for another 30 harvests.

Watch Video

Together with our parent company SACMI, Defranceschi has developed an innovative new addition to our design tank portfolio. This tank features stainless steel construction with ceramic interior walls. This allows us to combine the natural micro-oxygenation of an amphora or barrel with the ease of use, temperature control, and stability of a steel tank. The tanks are beautifully designed with mirror polished interior and exterior and wrapped in our signature pigmented stainless steel. Within that exterior wrap are cooling tubes within a layer of perlite. The tanks are 32Hl in capacity and portable with channels for forklift pickup in the base.

SACMI is a world leader in the ceramics industry and is able to produce large ceramic plates with the desired porosity for proper gas exchange with repeatable precision results. The porosity of the ceramic plates can be made to suit the customer's demands by varying the pressure at which the plates are pressed and the temperature at which they are fired. The plates are fitted to the interior walls with piping behind allowing the tank to breathe in a similar manner to a barrel or an amphora. 

These tanks feature a central full drain in the floor with a mirror polish on the stainless portions of the interior. The innovative design creates an environment that is more durable than barrels or amphorae, easy to clean, and also saves a tremendous amount of water and labor. 

For orders or information about Ceramic Design Tanks please visit www.defranceschiusa.com or write to Matthew.Brennecke@sacmigroup,com