Discovery / Methodology / Concrete Eggs & Wine Tanks
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Concrete Eggs & Wine Tanks
Modern concrete vessels give winemakers choices for fermentation, maturation and storage. The egg is one shape in a wider cellar story.
Concrete has more than one shape.
The cellar egg is a modern way into a longer concrete story. Winemakers also use cylindrical, rectangular and other concrete tanks. A vessel can be chosen for fermentation, for maturation after fermentation, or to hold wine before a later step. Those are separate jobs, even when the same tank does more than one.
From fermentation to the next chapter.
Ferment
Yeast transforms grape sugar into alcohol and releases heat. A concrete tank can host that process; it does not replace temperature monitoring or fermentation management.
Mature
After fermentation, wine may remain in concrete, with or without selected lees. Ask how long it stays and whether it is later blended with wine from other vessels.
Hold
A cellar may use a suitable tank to hold wine between operations. Storage is a practical purpose; maturation describes the development a producer is seeking over time.
Material, shape and surface are different decisions.
Concrete’s thermal mass can moderate temperature changes. That does not make every tank self-regulating: size, ambient conditions and any cooling system still matter. Concrete supplies no oak wood, so it is an option when a producer wants to avoid oak-derived toast or vanilla aromas.
Nomblot describes its egg shape as encouraging circulation and lees suspension. Treat this as a description of a design’s intended behaviour, rather than a promise that every egg continuously stirs itself. Fermentation activity, temperature differences, dimensions and cellar handling affect movement.
Ask whether the inside is unlined, coated or otherwise treated. The surface and construction affect wine contact, oxygen exposure and care. A lined tank and an unlined egg need not behave alike. Oxygen management, hygiene and vessel condition remain cellar responsibilities.
A modern example, and a useful caution.
Monte Creek in British Columbia describes using concrete eggs particularly for Chardonnay fermentation. It is a practical producer example to look for when reading a technical sheet or asking about a cellar visit.
A Winemakers Research Exchange trial compared Sauvignon Blanc fermented and aged in concrete and stainless steel and reported sensory differences. It is one comparison under particular conditions, not proof that concrete always produces a richer wine or wins a tasting. Grape, lees, oxygen exposure and handling deserve questions too.
Clay is another conversation.
Georgia’s qvevri are earthenware vessels with their own living traditions. Concrete eggs are not qvevri, even when their outlines invite comparison. Separate the vessel material from skin contact, grape variety and place. “Mineral” in a tasting note is not proof that a wine has picked up a flavour of concrete.
Try a little discovery.
Find two producer descriptions for the same grape, one using concrete and another steel or oak. Make four notebook headings: vessel, fermentation, lees and maturation. Record only what the producer actually states. If tasting, use the same glass shape and similar serving temperatures; describe the result without claiming to isolate the vessel from all other differences.
A few questions worth uncorking.
Is concrete only for white wine?
No. Concrete tanks can be used for reds as well as whites. The vessel and process must suit the wine.
Does “egg” always mean concrete?
No. Egg describes a shape. Ask what the vessel is made from and how its interior is finished.
Can wine age in concrete?
Yes. Concrete vessels can be used for maturation as well as fermentation. Check the particular wine’s stated programme.
Where shall we wander next?
Behind this introduction
Editorial sources checked 16 October 2026. T2C diagrams, examples and exercises are original editorial learning aids. Individual wines and preferences vary.