Taylors Wines has become the first and only producer in the world to own a stainless steel egg shaped fermenter. While this latest piece of technology might look like something you would expect to see from out of space, it has in fact been brought over to Australia to help Taylors produce a range of ultra-premium wines.

The new technology will enable Taylors to control temperature levels throughout fermentation, while its unique shape allows for more of the ‘cap’ (a substance formed by the grape skins that often floats to the top during fermentation) to be submerged and produces natural currents during fermentation, together increasing juice contact with the skins, resulting in better colour, tannin and flavour extraction.

Taylors Wines has installed the fermenter to help the winery produce a range of new ultra-premium wines – pointing to a change in direction for the winery – and has already begun to be used for the current vintage.

“We’re delighted to be using it for this vintage. It’s the world’s first”, Mitchell Taylor, Managing Director of Taylors Wines said to drinks bulletin.

“We’ve already trialed some white ferments and they looked really good, but it’s really meant for the reds”, Mr. Taylor added. “This is really the future of where we’re heading as a business and we’re delighted to be experimenting in this high end, quality area.”

Initially, Mr. Taylor said the new fermenter will be used help to produce its newly released The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as its St. Andrews range, and later in the year it will be used to produce a new ultra-premium shiraz, which Mr. Taylor revealed will be called Taylors Pioneer.