Containers made of this material are used as an alternative to oak wood, stainless steel or natural stone (granite) for fermenting and storing wines. The conventional concrete containers are mostly lined on the inside with glass tiles or stainless steel sheets, more rarely with plastic or coated with varnish. The advantages are optimal use of space, flexible volumes and low shrinkage. Since the mid-1990s, experiments with egg-shaped concrete containers have been carried out, starting in France and then in Spain and now also in Germany. In the German wine-growing region of Franconia, some winegrowers are using such "concrete eggs" with a volume of 900 litres.
The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena