Egginox - Supplier Spotlight

Nova Gorica - SLOVENIA

History

Egginox was founded in early 2019 when three Slovenian friends and business partners working in the stainless steel and wine industry were tasting in a cellar together. They were tasting wine from wooden and concrete eggs, and they realized nobody had created a stainless steel egg. The following year was, of course, the global pandemic, but during the ensuing lockdown, the three partners started experimenting and finding winery partners. 

Today

Egginox is currently manufactured at Slometal in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, which is right on the border with Italy and the Friuli region, one of the aromatic white wine capitols of the world. Slometal is engaged in the wholesale distribution of premium Grade A stainless steel all over Europe. Due to its access to an extremely high-quality primary material, Egginox is then able to engineer stainless steel eggs for winemaking. The company is owned by Ivan Princic, Klemen Princic, and Senad Orcascanin. 

Material - AISI 304 Stainless Steel

The sourcing of the primary material is crucial to the success of Egginox. The grade of stainless steel used is AISI 304 stainless steel, and the inner surface is polished BA (Bright Annealed) that has minimum roughness to facilitate tartrate removal. The walls of the tanks are 1 inch thick, and given the size of the vessels, their weight is relatively light making them easy to position and move around inside of wineries. 

Production

Specialized welding is carried out meticulously by professionals who are absolute experts in their craft. The egg shape of the vessel and the material in which it is made make cleaning the tanks extremely practical and hygienic since steam can also be applied. The shape of the egg is constructed via three pieces of stainless steel welded together. Accessories are then added on afterwards. 

Accessories

All Egginox are equipped with standard accessories that include a tasting tap, a 2-inch TC racking valve, a 2-inch TC partial discharge valve, a thermometer, a venting valve, and depending on the size of the Egginox (1,000L, 1,500L, 2,000L, and 2,500L) an external hatch door.

For customers wanting temperature control, additional flags can be added and installed on the internal walls of the tank. Per request, all customers can have their logo etched onto the Egginox.

Winemaking & Styles of Wines

The porosity of stainless steel is 0% meaning the "angels share" on the tank is next to nothing and the wines inside of the tank do not see the oxygen exchange experienced with barrels, amphora, or concrete tanks.

The Egginox tank maintains the natural suspension of the lees and preserves the juice's fruit quality during fermentation; the PH is not impacted, and there is no variability between tanks.

By keeping the wine in constant motion and the lees in constant suspension, the Egginox will add a textural component to your wine, and because of the material's inertness and lack of porosity, it will amplify the taste of the fruit and respect the identity of your vineyard site.

The usage of concrete eggs has increased in popularity over the past decade and many winemakers have experience with them. Here you have all the benefits of a concrete egg but in a format that is lighter and easier to clean.

With references spanning Friuli in Italy, Brda in Slovenia, Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Napa, Sonoma, the Central Coast, etc..  Egginox is gaining a following with aromatic whites, sparkling and light-skinned red producers where very minimum oxygen exchange is preferred to keep the wine in a bright, energetic, and tense state.