Vat Size

vat size, varies enormously. fermentation vessels in large commercial wineries contain, typically, between 50 and 300 hl, (1,320–8,000 gal), although smaller enterprises may use much smaller wooden or concrete vats. The ratio of height to width has implications for red winemaking in determining the area of the cap. Blending tanks in large commercial wineries usually hold around 3,500 hl (92,000 gal) and may contain up to 10,000 hl. Grupo Peñaflor, Argentina’s largest wine company, boasts the largest wine vat in the world, with a capacity of about 53,000 hl—large enough to hold a dinner party for several hundred inside, though it is no longer used in winemaking.