Patent ID: 7353750

Claim:
A sprinkling device for making wine from grapes, which device is associated with a fermentation tank in order to recirculate wine must that is being fermented from a base region to a top region of the fermentation tank and to sprinkle the recirculated wine must in a stream into the top region of the fermentation tank, said sprinkling device comprising: an auxiliary tank fitted in a top opening of the fermentation tank and which is provided with means for fixing to a hatch, first discharge means for discharging the wine must that is supplied to the auxiliary tank from the fermentation tank, said first discharge means comprising an opening in a base of the auxiliary tank and a closure member which is movable between a closure position and an open position in order to produce a first sprinkling stream of the recirculated wine must, and second discharge means for discharging the wine must, said second discharge means being associated with the closure member and can discharge the wine must by means of a second sprinkling stream when the level of recirculated wine must in the auxiliary tank reaches a predetermined level, wherein the second discharge means comprise an auxiliary discharge opening in the closure member and an overflow duct communicating with the auxiliary discharge opening in order to deliver the recirculated wine must through the auxiliary discharge opening.