Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/438260
14 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 c o v e r s t o r y Genova. After curing and sweeping off the spent quartz, a clear build coat was applied, and the second layer of colored quartz was broadcast to ensure color uni- formity and consistency. Once cured, a clear seal coat was applied to lock in the colored quartz and begin the process of traction control. After the clear seal coat was cured, the entire flooring surface was protected with a clear, chemical-resistant and high-traffic sealer. Since this is a seam- less floor application, the color separa- tion actually doubled the time required for installation, as one color has to be completely dry prior to installing the other color. The correct size of coarse aggregate was blended in and applied in the finish coats at a particular thickness to achieve the perfect balance between floor trac- tion and ease of surface cleaning. The entire process from start to finish took approximately 28 working days complet- ing approximately 11,520 square feet and 404 linear feet of integral cove base on the walls (12 inches high). Cap management in primary fermentation "For grapes fermented in the new cellar, our cap-management program allows for changes based on many different factors with some basic guidelines," says wine- maker Justin Seidenfeld. Upon arrival at the winery of the hand-harvested grapes from the vine- yard in the early afternoon, grapes are de stemmed and receive an SO 2 addition with a target of 30 to 40 ppm total SO 2 in tank. On day two, a sample is taken for juice analysis. On day three, initial nutrients are added and either the fermentation is allowed to start without inoculation or U43 yeast is added, based on winemaker discretion. When fermentation has started, until about 10º Brix, there are three pump overs per day. Each pump over should turn over the tank volume once. From 10º Brix onward, there will be two pump overs per day (to turn over the tank volume one time). When the wine has fermented to dryness, there is one pump over per day to wet the cap, turning over between one-quarter and one-half of the volume during the pump over. There are a few different parameters for temperature, but the goal is to allow the temperature to increase gradually. "We want to avoid spikes in the fer- mentation curve," adds Seidenfeld, "and use tank-wall refrigeration to guide the fermentation to a nice curve, with peak temperature between 75º and 85º F. "When the wine reaches 0º Brix, we will use warm glycol in the tank wall to assist thermal maceration for additional extraction. We will warm the tank over several days from 84º to 88º F. "Our goal is to have a minimum of 21 days of skin contact. We will make all pressing decisions based on taste and start daily tastings as soon as the wine in the tank is dry." The free-run wine is drained from the fermentor to another tank for 24 hours of settling, and racked to another tank for inoculation with malolactic bacteria. The next day the inoculated wine goes to barrel with a Guth tank mixer stirring the lees during barrel-down. Floor coating of new fermentation cellar "Seidenfeld invested much attention on a state-of-the-art tank room expansion and found he had to solve durability and aesthetic issues with the exist- ing floor of a cellar to be remodeled," says David Genova, Lennova VP of Operations. Installation of sloped floor. Tank floor has a 4-inch slope from the wall to the floor drain between two rows of tanks. Seidenfeld searched for a new floor- ing company that could solve techni- cal drainage and durability issues. He learned about Lennova from colleagues at other wineries. "Seidenfeld asked to see if Lennova's approach of creat- ing custom solutions and attention to detail could really meet Rodney Strong's needs," adds Genova. "Rodney Strong and other wineries have found that natural compounds in wine such as sugar and acidity can seep through and both degrade and desta- bilize concrete floors. This creates a challenge as forklifts with a four-barrel pallet negotiate tank rooms with eroded, uneven and rutted floors. The damaged floors sometimes led to incidents impact- ing productivity, product loss and health code violations." Seidenfeld reviewed a solution for eroded concrete floors at another win- ery's tank room. "Although he was pleased with the workmanship and per- formance of the flooring installed, he wanted to make sure that the solution would be a seamless flooring system that met the Rodney Strong Vineyards' unique needs and aesthetic values." One big challenge for the new tank room was drainage. Lennova had to deal with existing elevations, newly installed trench drains and flat concrete with existing door openings to the building. "Using a simple but effective method of long, straight boards, shims and levels we determined the appropriate deflec- tion (drainage slope of 4 inches over 16 feet) for proper drainage. We used a material unaffected by fluctuating mois- ture and acidity that would also stand up to forklift traffic to build the needed deflection." A resinous material was chosen with an anti-microbial additive to prevent bacterial growth rather than cement because most cement-based products lose tensile strength and impact resis- tance as it tapers to less than ¼-inch thick to accommodate the slope. The sloping material was mixed in manage- able quantities and troweled in place over the existing concrete with the use of screed bars and forms (see photo on page 14). A red and brown blend of decorative colored quartz was chosen for high traf- fic areas and charcoal gray for under- neath the tanks. "The fluid-applied, seamless flooring material has the viscosity/consistency of a pancake batter, and once the flooring is troweled in place and is leveled out over the sloping material, we broadcast the first layer of colored quartz," explains