Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/347498
52 W i n e s & V i n e s A U G U s T 2 0 1 4 under the floor and put in high-strength plastic tubes to give you the option of radiant heating." He suggests using insulated concrete forms that stack like Lego blocks to build structural walls. When the Styrofoam blocks are in place, held there with vertical reinforcing rods and filled with concrete, the walls are strong, insulated inside and out with an R value of between 40 and 50, and with studding in place every 8 inches. Hunt states with vehemence, "Insulate! Floors, doors, walls, ceilings, openings. Include chiller piping, hot-water heaters and pipes. Put insulating jackets (remov- able if possible) around tanks: It makes a huge difference in your energy savings." The new tasting room addition includes insulation to below the frost line and spray foam insulation in the ceiling of the basement. Note the 2x6 blocks to attach the ceiling that were nailed in place before the spray foam was applied (see photo on page 55). Geothermal sustainability project In 2010 Hunt Country received a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for approximately three-quarters of the cost of installing a geothermal heating and cooling system for their tasting room, the new winery production building, the old barn basement (now used to store case goods) and a smaller case-goods ware- house. Eight 375-foot-deep wells were drilled outside the main tasting room windows. The water from all eight wells is piped into a manifold in the basement of the tasting room building and then dis- tributed to the different buildings. In the winter, water comes in at 55°F; the heat pump takes the energy out of the water and sends the water back to the wells at a lower temperature. By the time the water runs through the pipes to the wells, it is back to the original tem- perature of 55°F. In the summer, the pro- cess is reversed: The heat is taken out of the buildings and comes back in at a cooler temperature. The earth's natural 55° temperature cools or warms the liq- uid, and a system of two heat pumps keeps the temperature of the buildings at a comfortable level. The geothermal process is approxi- mately 400% more efficient than using fuel oil and propane to heat or cool the winery's buildings. According to Hunt, geothermal energy is cost effective in 11 years without any subsidies; with the gov- ernment grant, it will be cost effective in three years. "It cost about $2,000 in elec- tricity for heating in the winter," Hunt stated. "We've spent $10,000-$12,000 just on propane for heating in the past." Sustainability in the vineyard From their first harvest, the Hunts began to give back to the land: They spread the grape pomace in the vineyard and on other crops in order to improve soil health. In 2005, the family added another step to the process: After harvest is fin- ished, between 50 and 70 tons of pomace NEW YORK Buffalo Lake Ontario Syracuse New York Hunt Country Vineyards PA CT MA VT ON NJ N E W Y O R K SCREW Making the move to screw cap? Want to run roll-on and torque-on with the same machine? Arol's flexible capping technology applies everything from corks, to torque-on aluminum closures. With over thirty years' experience and 15,000 machines to-date, we have a perfect solution for your application. We custom design your machine for your specific application. Contact us at: AROL North America 450 Satellite Blvd NE | Suite A Suwanee, GA 30024 | Tel: 678.318.1290 www.arol.com WV201111_arol_island.indd 1 11/4/2011 9:05:39 AM G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW