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W i n e s & V i n e s s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 51 ber so they can achieve their goals and dreams. W&V: What is the current climate for these sorts of transactions? Banks: The economic climate is pretty good, in general. We operate outside the normal climate. The types of opportunities we are look- ing for are few and far between. If it's "on the market," it's probably not for us, so the climate is largely irrelevant for us. Finding smart, creative and passionate partners isn't about the financial climate. Some rich guy selling his estate isn't interesting to us. An excitable 30-year-old with vision and a dream is far more appealing. W&V: You've invested in califor- nia, South Africa and New Zea- land—and you're importing wines from Burgundy through your Maison L'orée venture with Rajat parr. Are there other wine areas around the world where you're interested in investing? Banks: I would love to find a way to invest in Argentina, but it's im- possible right now with their irresponsible and disastrous eco- nomic policies. I think Washing- ton, oregon, the Jura (France), Sierra Foothills and all over Spain should provide plenty of reasons for us to stay busy over the com- ing years. There's not much I'd rule out. A resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Laurie Daniel has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She has been writing about wine for publications for nearly 15 years and has been a Wines & Vines contributor since 2006. Terravant Wine company purchases close to 1,000 Oenotank maturation tanks to replace older barrels in the cellar. We asked key Terravant personnel the reasons for such a large move from barrels to the Oenotank program: "The Oenotanks are really helping to get a nice, palatable wine to market that much sooner." General Manager Randy Pace "The maintenance of Oenotank is very low. We have already started trials of some very high-end, expensive wines into Oenotanks. I am achieving the same qualitative maturation of the wine. The idea that we can have a 5 barrel lot of wine is one of the real attractive parts." Winemakers Travis Proctor & Anna J. Clifford "All the tastings have been positive. The cellar master tells us we have not had to top them off - positive time-saving stuff." Terravant has a number of tier 1 & 2 wines maturing in Oenotanks, but they also have the highest level (tier 5) in them too. Mention was made of a vineyard designated Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills appellation that is being matured 20% in new barrels and 80% in Oenotank, with the intention to bring both elements together once maturation is complete. Cellar Master Dean Guzman "Oenotank has been great from a quality & efficiency standpoint - we have been coming through bi-monthly and just making simple sulfur additions. We haven't seen any ullage or film being created on the surface, not to mention the wines are coming out great - they are well rounded. The Oenotanks are really helping to get a nice palatable wine to market that much sooner." Terravant Wine Company, based in Buellton, Santa Barbara County, provides custom services including private labeling & custom design, shiner sales, bulk wines, custom crush & AP. Terravant selected Oenotank, made by Australian pioneer & market leader Flextank International Ltd (not to be confused with a similarly named USA company), after extensive research into available alternates. Terravant has the capacity to mature 288,000 gallons of wine in the nearly 1,000 Oenotanks purchased. Terravant also has on trial French oak staves & chips "Esprit du Chêne," specifically launched for use with the Oenotank. Staves are made to the same standard as premium barrels, being from 150 to 175 year-old oak trees mostly from the "center" region of France. The goal is an authentic simulation of oak barrel maturation, in combination with the passive oxygenation naturally delivered through the Oenotank wall. The picture to the left shows stacked Oenotanks full of maturing wine. OakTree Trading of Santa Barbara provided an innovative financing option for the Oenotank purchase. FIND OUT MORE: James Bateman, Sales Manager cell: 707-200-7838 • email: james@wineryproducts.com Visit the Oenotank website: wineryproducts.com Visit the Esprit du Chêne website: espritduchene.com Randy Pace, General Manager phone: 805-686-9400, ext. 205 email: randy@terravant.com Visit the website: terravant.com Tiaan Bezuidenhout, CEO cell: 415-717-1620 email: tiaan@oaktreerentals.com Visit the website: oaktreerentals.com Oenotank technology licensed by Flextank International Ltd. Article copyright: Roaming Gnome Enterprises & Terravant Wine Company Premium Staves. The Spirit of French Oak. Call your Associate today for competitive financing! Fixed and adjustable rate mortgage loans Dana Cummings Kennewick, WA, 509-783-9191 Scott Gay Napa, CA, 707-477-2425 Josh Gervase Escalon, CA, 209-608-0321 Bill Sciacqua Fresno, CA, 559-470-6448 Brendan Feder Visalia, CA, 559-312-4437 Jonathan W. Holbrook Food & Agribusiness, 559-470-6444 Agricultural Investments Your lender of choice for agricultural capital. © 2014 METLIFE, INC. © '14 PNTS www.metlife.com/ag t took me six years to buy Mayacamas and over three to buy Mulderbosch—well worth the wait in both instances! WiNes & ViNes DiGital eDitioN View this issue on your tablet, smartphone or online at winesandvines.com/digitaledition F I N A N C E