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p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d J a n U a r y 2 0 1 5 11 c o v e r s t o r y ground press discharge and incline pomace-removal system was installed to complete the crush pad. This crush pad is a compact and efficient use of space that provides the versatility to process both red and white grapes in the same loca- tion with one receiving hopper. New berry separator/sorter "The Pellenc Selectiv' Process Berry Separator/Sorter utilizes linear high-fre- quency vibration to achieve gentle sepa- ration of berries from the stems," says Lance Vandehoef of Pellenc America Inc. "This new technology works well to keep berries and stalks intact at the Rodney Strong Vineyards. "A unique feature is that the Selectiv' Process unit allows loose berries to pass through a grid belt directly to an inte- grated and adjustable roller-sorting table prior to the linear berry separators. The first stage of the roller-sorting table sepa- rates any juice present and removes inde- pendent seeds and immature berries and raisins. The second stage removes jacks, petioles and other green material before discharge of the berries into a mobile transfer bin for delivery to a fermenta- tion tank." Rodney Strong Vineyards operated the separator/sorter at 12 tons per hour to achieve desired quality. Its maximum speed is 20-tons per hour. New program to operate tank press as a "basket-style" press The Bucher press programs available on the new 250hl tank press at the Rodney Strong Vineyards are part of the new model Bucher Xpert ICS (Intuitive Communication System). One specific program that allows the press to func- tion similarly to a basket press is called "sequential pressing," explains Mea Leeman, sales director at Bucher Vaslin North America. Sequential pressing is based on a series of inflations to pressure levels and hold- ing times attained sequentially without performing any deflations of the mem- brane or rotations of the press. The value of the successive pressure levels range from 0 to 2 bars. When the tank press is filled with fermented material, the tank rotates 40 degrees to position the membrane at the top of the drum and the patented Bucher drain channels to be in the lower half of the drum, allowing gravity and pres- sure to release wine from the fermented grape skins. The winery can program in advance or modify, in real time, up to 10 differ- ent "sequential programs" that contain up to 20 different pressing "steps." The pressing can be graphically displayed on a user-friendly Windows screen. Sequential press programming is a standard press program installed on all Bucher Xpert presses. The specific "sequential pressing" exists on previous versions of the Xpert Series (Versions 1 and 2). However, deflation of the mem- brane without any rotation of the tank is made possible exclusively through the new Bucher ICS system. When the tank press is loaded with fermented grapes after free run drain- separation of 24 hours from a 20-ton fer- mentor, the pomace is discharged from the press after a 90-minute press cycle. New red fermentation cellar To make the highest quality wine pos- sible, Seidenfeld and his team designed a brand new fermentation cellar exclu- sively for this new brand in an existing 11,520-square-foot building. The remodel included re-sloping of the floor and insu- lating the walls and roof before installing 57 new La Garde stainless steel square fermentation tanks that maximized the space in the building. Four inches of foam insulation were sprayed on the roof to achieve R30 value and insulation panels (total of 6 inches thick) were installed inside the walls to achieve an R40 value. La Garde, a division of SML Stainless Steel Group in Canada, built the custom- designed wine tanks from 304 stainless- steel Grade 11. "La Garde square shape fermentors are designed to maximize the contact ratio of must to juice through a thinner cap to optimize fermentation," says Jostran Lamontagne of La Garde, "wherein lies the creation of flavor and complexity of the wine. "With La Garde square tanks, the con- tact surface could be increased by up to 50% when compared to a cylinder with the same floor width. By increasing that contact surface for the same volume, you increase the efficiency of the fermenta- tion process. You achieve more color, tannin and more flavors from the grapes with a cap of must that is thinner, much easier to facilitate pump overs and the cooling process. The square tanks can produce 30% more volume of wine than a round tank for the same wall width that you want to occupy. "A big advantage of La Garde tanks is the simplicity to clean them, due to the hand-polish finish. The exterior wall is a number-four polished finish with polished welds. The interior wall is a 2B-polished finish with polished welds Two high elevation Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards ready for harvest. A forklift delivers a 1,500-pound capacity transfer hopper to the fermentation cellar to drop sorted grapes through a 12-inch diameter butterfly valve into a 12-inch screw sump that keeps the pump suction flooded of a 4-inch diameter Waukesha variable speed (0-220 gpm) positive displacement pump that transfers grapes into the fermentation tank. A pump trial was conducted in the 2014 harvest with three fermentation tanks containing grapes harvested on one day from the same vineyard block to determine the optimum pump for pump over during primary fermentation. Pumps included: 1.5 hp RV65 with a helicoidal impeller, and a 5 hp RV80 with a helicoidal impeller. RV series pumps are widely used for pump over where high capacity and minimum destruction of solid parts (seeds, skins etc.) is required. The design of a pump contributes to a better extraction of tannin, reducing formation of lees to achieve higher quality wine. The third pump, a 2-inch air pump that handled 140 gallons per minute at 100 psi, was chosen for pump overs in the future with an air pump to be installed with every fermentation tank.