Austria’s oldest winery turns to TITAN for help during grape harvest

Global warming is wreaking havoc in vineyards from California to Australia, and even those in more temperate climes are being affected. Discover how TITAN helps Austrian wine clients to stay cool.

Austria

Global warming is wreaking havoc in vineyards from California to Australia, and even those in more temperate climes are being affected. Discover how TITAN helps Austrian wine clients to stay cool.

The challenge

The Stift Klosterneuburg wine estate is Austria’s oldest winery, founded in 1114. With vineyards across the east of the country, it is especially busy in late summer when grapes need to be picked, ready to be turned into wine.

Over the past decade, however, a new complication has increasingly had to be factored into an already complex process: global warming.

Winemakers strive to pick grapes at the optimal moment, seeking the ideal balance of sugars, acids, and flavour compounds. While they have always had a relatively short harvesting window, longer, hotter summers are shifting it earlier.

That’s because high summer temperatures accelerate grape ripening, resulting in harvest dates weeks ahead of traditional schedules.

This presents a problem if the grapes can’t be processed immediately. Prolonged exposure to summer heat can rapidly diminish grape aromas and cause other types of damage while awaiting processing.

The issue is capacity. To begin the all-important fermentation process, grapes need to be crushed and then placed into tanks. But most winemakers only have a limited quantity of the necessary equipment.

The answer, as winemakers all over Austria (and further afield) are discovering, is portable cold storage.

The solution

Stift Klosterneuburg has been using portable cold storage containers as a ‘buffer’ for several years, though 2024 was the first time they used TITAN. The wine estate rented two 20ft ArcticStores from our Austrian team.

These, they said, would give their winemakers extra flexibility during the harvest.

They also recognised that cold storage containers could be used as a holding area for small tanks of freshly pressed white wine grape juice. This would help provide a degree of control during the all-important fermentation process.

The delivery

TITAN has a huge fleet of delivery trucks all over the world. In Australia, tilt tray trucks, which slide the container off the back of the truck, are widely seen. In Europe, Hiab-type vehicles are more common.

This versatile truck is equipped with a small crane on the back that can easily lift a container into place.

Hiabs were the perfect solution in Austria, enabling our teams to place the client’s containers exactly where they were needed at two of their vineyards. One was positioned outside a wine processing area, while the other took up short-term residence in the Stift Klosterneuburg parking area.

While the grapes were only held in cold storage (at 5°C/41°F) overnight, the Stift Klosterneuburg team believe this small but important step will have a positive impact on the latest vintage.

The results

TITAN Austria has seen a notable spike in enquiries from vineyard clients recently – a direct result of climate change. A total of 19 winegrowing clients in the country rented 20ft or 40ft containers for a short period (4-6 weeks) during the last winegrowing season, explaining that the ‘safety net’ this provided during their busy harvest period was invaluable.

As Peter Philipp, Head of Production at Stift Klosterneuburg, says: “Chilling is a really good way to preserve the grapes’ aromas. It’s also a non-invasive strategy for microbiological protection and lowers the risk of spontaneous fermentation, which we don’t want.

“We want fermentation to begin after the grapes have been through the crushing process. Cold storage buys us some time.”

Cold storage also offers winemakers some comfort in other circumstances when grapes must be picked en masse – such as an impending storm or hail.

It also gives winemakers some breathing room in the event of unforeseen problems, such as breakdowns in processing equipment.

Why our ArcticStore cold storage containers are perfect for wine clients

TITAN’s rental terms for cold storage units are famously flexible. That means renting one for just a short period of time is always possible – and that’s perfect for winemakers.

ArcticStores can be positioned both indoors or outdoors – meaning they can be placed inside the grape crushing area or just outside it. They can rapidly achieve the temperature you need and keep it locked in for as long as required.

The containers are fully secure to keep out pests, and remote 24/7 monitoring using our SmartArctic platform provides further peace of mind.

Moreover, ArcticStores utilise next-generation insulation and chilling technology to keep energy consumption as low as possible.

Our most eco-friendly model, the ArcticStore Horizon, can reduce energy use by an average of 55% vs traditional reefer containers.

For wineries with an eye on costs and the environment, ArcticStores represent a win on both fronts.

Note: demand for ArcticStores at TITAN depots all over the world increases every summer. Our clients need them to chill drinks and food at festivals, store ice cream and other summer consumables at supermarkets, and keep freshly picked fruit in tip-top condition.

If your winery is feeling the impact of global warming and you can see how renting an ArcticStore or two for a short period next summer would help, we recommend speaking to one of our team as soon as possible.