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Wineries · Breweries · Distilleries

Fruit flies in the cellar.
Brettanomyces in biofilm.
Harvest seasonality.

Contamination risks in wineries often begin in the wash floor. Fruit flies carry Brettanomyces — one of the worst wine spoilages. Breweries face the same problem with lactic bacteria. Green Drain™ breaks the breeding cycle in the P-trap.

HACCPNSF/ANSI 2Resistant to wine acidsNo chemistry
0
Fruit flies
>99,9%
Aerosol blockade
5 years
Life
30 s
By the drain
Problem & solution

Seasonality is worst-case scenario for P-traps

The wine harvest lasts 4–6 weeks. During harvest the cellar is thoroughly cleaned; everything is flushed through. For the rest of the year it sees minimal use. The P-traps are drained in the off-season.

Without Green Drain™

  • Drosophila spp. (fruit flies) reproduce in the biofilm of wine P-traps — a vector for Brettanomyces ('horse smell').
  • Breweries: Lactic Bacteria and Wild Yeasts in the P-trap — A Risk to Beer Safety
  • The P-trap dries out after harvest — seasonal odors and contamination on restart
  • CO₂ accumulation in cellars — a safety issue for workers (suffocation from P-trap collapse)
  • BRC/IFS auditor in craft breweries requests a documented drain control plan.

With Green Drain™

  • Fruit flies don't stand a chance — breeding cycle interrupted
  • Brettanomyces and lactic acid bacteria do not migrate from drains into the product.
  • CO₂ from the sewer and its recirculation controlled — reduced risk for workers
  • Resistant to wine acids (tartaric, malic, lactic), brewing agents (NaOH, peracetic acid)
  • No water in the P-trap — no biofilm — no 'wet floor' as a reservoir
Irish whiskey, beer & wine

Ireland's drinks sector is in resurgence.

Irish whiskey distilleries (50+ operating: Midleton, Bushmills, Teeling, Dingle, Slane, Tullamore, Powerscourt, Waterford, Roe & Co.), Diageo's Guinness brewhouse at St James's Gate, craft brewery network (Galway Bay, Whiplash, Five Lamps, Eight Degrees, O Brother), and a small but growing Irish wine scene. Each shares the same constraint: organic-load drains under continuous wash-down with strict Bord Bia and FSAI hygiene audit cycles.

4–6 weeks
Duration of the wine harvest — intensive washing
Brettanomyces
Drosophila vector — destroys crop value
CO₂
Safety risk in low-ventilated basements
HACCP
Auditor calls for oversight of drainage in craft breweries
EU BPR 528/2012
Pressure to reduce the use of biocidal preparations
0
Maintenance chemicals — eco-oriented winemakers appreciate them.
Data Sources and Regulatory Framework (2024–2025 data)

Statistical data taken from official Irish and EU sources: Central Statistics Office Ireland (cso.ie), Health Service Executive (hse.ie), Failte Ireland (failteireland.ie), Bord Bia (bordbia.ie), IDA Ireland (idaireland.com), Health Products Regulatory Authority (hpra.ie). Regulatory framework: EUR-Lex for EU directives — EU 2017/745 (MDR), EU 178/2002 (food safety), EU 1935/2004 and EU 10/2011 (food contact materials), EU 528/2012 (BPR), EU 2014/34 (ATEX). Standards: EN 1253-1 (floor P-traps, water seal ≥50 mm), EN 1253 Parts 6/7/8 (mechanical seal failures, 2023), HACCP International RG-04, ASSE 1072-2020, NSF/ANSI 2, HSE SARI guidelines. Revision date: May 2026.

Implementation

Ideal weather — after the harvest

November and December — harvest is over, before the winter cellar cleaning. The entire cellar of a small to medium winery is installed in one day.

01

Mapping

Harvest is finished — let's map out all the drains in the cellar, transfer room, and filling room.

02

Sizes

Typically: GD 3 in the basement, GD 4 in the slots under the tanks, GD 2 in the laboratory.

03

Winter test

Sondes in 4 drains for 14 days before winter washing.

04

The whole basement

One day of work — before Christmas, before the winter standby period.

Model Recommendation

Recommendation per production phase

Heritage Irish breweries (Guinness, Smithwicks) and the new generation of craft breweries (Galway Bay, Whiplash, Eight Degrees) typically run DN65–DN125 drainage depending on facility age; modern craft and whiskey distillery builds (Slane, Powerscourt, Waterford) follow DIN DN80–100. Main risks: Brettanomyces in biofilm, fruit flies, and CO₂ accumulation in poorly ventilated cellars and warehousing.

Green Drain™ Recommended for your industry.

  • Wine cellar — pouring roomGD 3Most intensive wash, Brettanomyces control.
  • Older wine cellars (stone structures, cellars)GD 2.5Check the inner diameter.
  • Tanks and wine fillerGD 4CIP resistance, wine acids.
  • Cold-side brewery (fermentation, lagering)GD 4 or GD 5CO₂ control, high flow rate during CIP.
💬 Not sure of the exact size? Send us a photo of your sink drain — our technical team will respond with a written recommendation within the same business day, free of charge.
Check out Green Drain™ → Request a quote
GD 2
DN50 · laboratory, tasting room
GD 2.5
DN65 · traditional cellars
GD 3
DN80 · flow-through room
GD 4
DN100 · tanks, filling station
GD 5
DN125 · large production grooves
GD 6
DN150 · brewery cold side
Complete solution

Three products.
One protection portfolio.

Green Drain™ doesn't work alone — for maximum drain control it's combined with GD Uri-Tabs™ (urinals) and GreenSwirl™ (biofilm bio-cleaning).

Ready for Free audit?

We come to the site, map the drains, and provide a written recommendation—no cost, no obligation.