🍷 Flexitank
A huge soft bag inside a shipping container that holds 24,000 litres of wine.
A flexitank is a huge soft bag of strong multi-layer film that is placed inside a shipping container. It holds about 24,000 litres of wine, roughly the amount in 32,000 bottles. The bag is used once and disposed of after the voyage.
Flexitanks are used to ship wine in bulk over long distances. The wine travels from the producing country to another country, where it is bottled. This is cheaper and simpler than shipping bottles: less weight, less glass, less space. That is why bulk wine often travels this way, as well as in tankers and tank trucks.
To keep the wine from spoiling, air is kept out of the bag as far as possible, and sometimes an inert gas is used. Temperature should be controlled, because wine does not like heat. A flexitank mainly suits simple and mid-range wines intended for early drinking.
The flexitank belongs to bulk wine and helps international trade. Many wines sold in bottles in other countries first travel this way. Alcohol is for adults.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Flexitank ← then ← 🍷 Bulk wine → kind of → 🏪 Wine storage and trade → kind of → 🍷 Wine
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Frequently asked questions
What is a flexitank?
A huge soft bag inside a shipping container that holds about 24,000 litres of wine.
Why is wine shipped in flexitanks?
It is cheaper than shipping bottles: less weight and space, and the wine is bottled in the destination country.
Is a flexitank reused?
Usually not; it is used once.