The Lamballe winery in Brittany is having concrete fermentation tanks made, into which about 1.5 tons of empty oyster shells from the region are incorporated. This is reported by the French newspaper Bretagne economique. The oyster shells are collected from local growers and thoroughly cleaned first. Crushed, they replace mineral aggregates for concrete like sand or gravel as a local waste product. Their share will make up ten to fifteen percent of the concrete. According to winery owner Dominique Lamballe, this is intended to reduce the ecological footprint during production without changing the technical properties of the containers or the profile of the wines.

The Lamballe winery, which is currently under construction and is set to start operations in June, has ordered eight containers with a volume of 22.5 hectoliters each and six with a volume of three hectoliters each. The idea for the innovative tanks came up during a trade fair in discussions with the group CLC France, a specialist in the production of concrete tanks for winemaking. "They conducted tests and guarantee the stability and tightness of the tanks," says Tristan Lamballe, the son of Dominique. The Lamballe family owns a company that manufactures window and door frames. The opening of a tasting and reception room at the winery is also planned for 2027.

(al; Image: AI stock image)

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