Plant and Equipment

Working from the west end of the property there was the refrigeration section and consisted of a "Budge" 20 ton compressor that serviced a 5000 gallon (22,500 litre) brine tank. Have details of chemical content, chromate and pH etc.

Next was an A.P.V. Plate heat exchanger which was used to heat the wine to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes. This coagulated the protein in the wine which would settle as lees and allow a more efficient clearing by the bentonite (alluvial clay) fining. I remember having a few spells on the controls which involved a control valve that regulated the flow from the overhead tank positioned astride H.M.C. Tanks 417 and 425, a valve to control the steam supply and Cambridge Circular Recording thermometer showing the wine temperature. You had to take a guess and make your correction using both wine or steam flow.

See Noel Burge's comments about the old copper pasteuriser's' at the north-east corner of the main cellar behind Jack Mutton's Office. Jack was Cellar Foreman at that time. Noel recalled that 140 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes was the best to coagulate the heat sensitive protein.

As an adjunct to this I learnt to check the wines in the laboratory for heat stability and we used the results to decide whether or not the heat treatment would be needed. Not much use going to the expense for no result. Temperature ranges tested were 130, 135, 140, 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minute levels. I found it one of the most difficult tests in the laboratory. Eyes on the thermometer , stirring the contents, watching the clock. Usually the best result was 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes that gave the optimum coagulation effect.

There were two filters in the main cellar, one an Ekwip square plate and frame filter (600x600 mm) and the other a Bromley circular filter approximately 450 mm diameter. Both filters used asbestos pads and you had a range of porosities. The Bromley was also used to filter the wines that were sold from the Free-store, today known a Cellar Door Sales.

At this time in 1951, due the existing Customs and Excise laws, most of the fortified wines were held "Under Bond" due to the regulation concerning fortifying spirit which had a rate of duty imposed on it. When a wine was released for sale to the public the spirit content duty had to be paid. Since the bulk of the wine make was fortified at this time every tank on the property was designated as H.M.C. Tank ( His or Her Majesty's Customs) and so on. Each tank was fitted with a locking device and that was for the two inch diameter bronze gate valve at some 500 mm above the bottom of the tank and a steel bar across the slate manhole (no idea of the slate source) cover on the tank top. I still recollect the huge bunches of keys with tank numbers tags that were in the Excise Office.

Excise Officer in charge was Harry Bennett and others were Ray Cook and Harold "Happy" Harris. I had known Harry Bennett from my Angaston cricket days. We were playing a final at Angaston Oval and Harry was a very good batsman and made a century as well as hitting me for a six off one of my leg spinners. Tanunda made a formidable score and I went in to bat well down the list. Managed to survive and make some runs and then Harry Bennett took the ball. It was a thrill to make some runs which included a six of one of Harry's deliveries. We never spoke about that again. And then I resume my Berri story to say that we moved to Berri in 1949 and I was playing with the Berri team and Harry Bennett was captain of the opposing Glossop side. To keep on with cricket, another staff member for Berri was Howard Penrhyn (known as "Pen"), an accountant at the winery who was an excellent classical batsman with a scintillating hook shot. "Pen" played with Sir Donald Bradman in the Kensington eleven. "Pen" and I played together in the Berri A grade side for a period. The then Accountant at the Winery, Cec. Lever, was the Glossop Cricket team wicket-keeper and Ray Stone, a shareholder, later to be a board member and then chairman of the winery board was also in the Glossop side. Ray was a prolific run-getter.

My memory of the other equipment is of sundry portable pumps. Mostly of Whitehill construction in bronze, mounted on a cast iron frame, and of a weight that kept you fit. The other major item in the main cellar was a blending pump. Noel Burge described how they would connect the pump suctions and deliveries to eight 20,000 gallon tanks. It was most important for all of the suction and delivery hoses to be the same length otherwise the blending procedure would not be successful. Noel thought the pump may have been made by the Bromley and Tregoning Company on the request of Penfold's Wines.

A regular problem at this time was the steam supply to the main cellar. There was a phone call each morning to Ray Harrip to ask if we could turn on the supply to the cellar. This was eventually fixed by making sure the boilers were operating at the necessary capacity by 8.30 a.m. and the supply would be O.K. I was playing A grade football this year and the steam service to the Main Cellar was a vital part of my recovery from bruises etc using the hot foment system, plus warming up my tin of canned food. That was a regular happening for Monday and Tuesday's lunch periods during the season..

Other recollections are I had to scrape out the tartar (potassium bi-tartrate/tannin/solids) from a 2,250 litre cask. This required you to enter the cask through the manhole fitted at the bottom of the main vertical stave. First the arm and then the head and the rest was a progression of body and limbs. I was in and all action. A day later I had scraped off the worst deposits and felt I should start applying the wax. I had to "melt/burn the wax onto the inner surface using a brush to paint the wax on and then a kerosene blow-torch to do the melting and blending of the wax over the inner surface. It was quite a job and in a quite unpleasant atmosphere. I took that lesson throughout my time in the industry to look after employee's interests' to see that they were not exposed to less than acceptable working conditions.

East of the main cellar was the Workshop/ Tower/ Steel storage yard. In my time 1951-1973 nothing changed in this area. As per Noel Burge there are some names and people that need to be researched.

Charlie Schaeffer was in charge of the Workshop. Charlie had the habit of riding a bike about the plant. Adopted by Doug. Collett and Bert Solly over the years. Equipment in the workshop included.

Bert Solly in charge of the (Cement gang) civil works and had a formidable task with maintaining the condition of the concrete storage tanks. As I have mentioned these tanks were lined with an inside plaster coat three parts to one of cement. If not protected from the wine acids the thin layer would rapidly be corroded and this would then progress to the reinforced concrete medium. Speaking with Neill Solly, Bert's son, he thought Bert would have started in 1950/1951 since Bert was still working for "Aub" Kunoth building extensions at the Glossop High School in 1949.

At this time the wax mixture was two parts of paraffin and one part of ceresin. Check this with Geoff. Neighbour!! The molten wax mixture was applied to the surface using a spray gun pressured by a hand pump. Once the ceiling and walls had been sprayed the operator would then melt the wax particles to give a protective layer on the plaster surface. Starting with the bottom of the wall to the top manhole. This was done to make sure any runnels of wax would flow down onto the finished wax surface. Once this was completed the ladders and/or scaffolding would be removed. The floor would then be scraped clear of excess wax, a fresh coating applied to the floor which was then melted to provide a good seal. Melting of the wax was done using an acetylene flame and generation of the gas was by mixing calcium carbide and water in a pressure vessel. I can remember the odour would fill the main cellar in the adjacent area to where the generator was standing.