Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/152772
TECHNICAL REVIEW winemaking WINEMAKING Despite being just off Sebastopol's small but congested downtown, the winery has the space to make unloading grapes fairly fluid. Trucks will enter from the rear, forklift operators will unload the bins and empty trucks, then exit from another entrance. It's "one of the few drive-thrus in Sebastopol," joked Lombardi. Part of the winery permit process mandated that trucks stay off Highway 116, which runs through the heart of the city. Trucks will have to reach the winery from Highway 12, which enters Sebastopol from the east, and Browne said it shouldn't be a problem. After unloading the bins, forklift drivers will then move them to a cold room if necessary. Browne said the room, which also doubles as extra storage space, can be chilled to 40°F and gives Browne the flexibility to call a pick even if the winery is already processing grapes that day. Quicker, more efficient All of Kosta Browne's fruit is picked at night to keep it cool, and the room helps ensure fruit stays at the ideal temperature even if the crush pad is too busy to process it. Last harvest, Browne said some fruit had to stay on the vine a little too The winery has 40 open-top tanks ranging in size from 4 tons to 8 tons. Pneumatic punch-down devices run on the steel rails above the tanks. long, and the wine ultimately wasn't a fit for the Kosta Browne style. "Quicker, more efficient is what we want at this facility," Browne said. This harvest, Browne said he plans to add a Pellenc optical sorter to the processing line, but the rest of the equipment made the move from the winery's old location at Owl Ridge Wine Services, also in Sebastopol. Bins are dumped with a forklift into a Bucher Vaslin vibratory hopper that shakes out the shot berries and other debris. The clusters then fall onto a conveyor for manual sorting before dropping into an escalator that leads to an Arm- Now all print subscribers get digital access included Scan this mobile barcode or visit winesandvines.com/digitaledition. View this issue on your computer or any mobile device. DIGITAL EDITION W W W. W I N E S A N D V I N E S . C O M 46 W in es & V i ne s S e p t e mbe r 20 13