One of Australia’s most successful wine bottling companies has installed a dual MAXIGAS unit to improve efficiency.
Portavin, located in Melbourne, put a lot of focus on quality control measures that contribute to the superior characteristics of the wine it bottles.
Continued growth in international demand for Australian wines has benefited the company and has seen it undergo rapid expansion over the last few years.
On the flip side, Portavin has been squeezed by retailer demands for competitive prices. So when it came to planning a new bottling plant, the company began to investigate ways of cutting costs and maximizing production efficiencies.
Nitrogen is used during winemaking and bottling to prevent oxidation that can cause discoloration, affect taste, aroma and shelf-life.
Dual MAXIGAS nitrogen generators and Bevpor filters from domnick hunter were installed at Portavin’s new state of the art plant, which has a production capacity of more than 70,000 cases of wine per week.
MAXIGAS operates on the Pressure Swing Adsorption Principle to generate nitrogen from compressed air. All of Portavin’s plants have a compressed air installation, so it made sense to capitalise on this existing resource.
Ian Matthews, Portavin Managing Director, says
“Our aim at all times is to maximise production efficiencies for customers whilst achieving quality standards that give these same customers the edge when their wines are marketed overseas".
”Portavin has been able to dispense with continual purchases of cryogenic nitrogen. And MAXIGAS gives them an uninterrupted nitrogen supply without any breaks in production, this reliability is important to a plant that operates 24 hours a day six days a week. With a nitrogen production rate of 42,000 litres an hour, the new installation produces ample nitrogen gas at a consistent purity for inerting storage vessels, purging air from bottles prior to filling and for pressure assisted transfer of incoming wine from road tankers".
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