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PRACTICAL WINERY & VINEYARD WINEMAKING January 2016 WINES&VINES 125 Research and collaboration The WSC cutting-edge research facility was designed in partnership with the Teaching and Research Winery at the Robert Mondavi Insti- tute for Wine and Food Science at the Univer- sity of California, Davis. WSU is collaborating with UC Davis and other national and inter- national research centers to understand the impacts of site, grapegrowing and winery practices on wine quality, to provide the Washington wine industry the knowledge base to address regional challenges and opportunities. Recognizing the value of the research and education the WSC will provide, leading in- dustry suppliers and manufacturers donated much of the equipment used in the facility. Spokane Industries' Metal Products Division built and donated 192 200-liter fermentation tanks to the WSC. These tanks will accept and hold sensors and electronics built and donated by Cypress Semiconductor Corp. Cypress Semi- conductors also donated advanced controls to the University of California, Davis. The tanks, which are fully jacketed for precise temperature control, were constructed with #4 polished finish stainless steel. All in- terior welds and surfaces were ground and polished to facilitate ease of cleaning. The lids of the tanks incorporate an inflatable seal, which allows the tanks to seal out air no matter what the volume of product is in the tanks. Each lid incorporates a 4-inch Tri-clover fitting to facilitate the mounting of the electronics and sensors to the tank. The Cypress Semiconductor fermentor con- trols include wireless networking so that each tank is continually tracked regardless of its loca- tion, Brix-sensing using an innovative pressure transducer setup and automatic and variable pumpover controls. The tanks are configured for precise control and data collection. The system provides temperature control, with temperature taken at two depths in each tank and on the jacket of each tank. The readings from these systems are tracked and recorded, allowing researchers to evaluate the finished wines in the context of these variables. WECOtek Sorting and Automation Solutions donated a state-of-the-art optical wine grape sorter worth $71,500 to the new WSC. Re- searchers and students at the WSC will use the sorter to evaluate the merits of mechanized grape sorting compared to more conventional sorting by hand. The optical wine grape sorter will also be used at collaborating wineries in Washington to evaluate industry applications. The 192 fermentation tanks on the main fermentation floor allow for the processing of small lots for experiments. The vessels are on casters, and the piping is configured to allow extreme flexibility for fermentor locations. The spaces surrounding the main fermenta- tion floor provide optimal and controllable conditions for wine research. The conditioned fruit-storage room can cool down fruit tempera- tures overnight to 40° F. Two temperature-con- trolled rooms can cool wine fermentation vessels or barrels to 25° F for cold stabilization and heat them to 75° F for malolactic fermentation. Support spaces include offices, restrooms, an analytical lab, chemical and equipment storage, mechanical spaces and space reserved for future distillation apparatus on the fermen- tation work floor. The winery has more than 250 feet of trench drains for easy drainage. The trenches drain to a treatment sump prior to being released to the city sewer system. Carbon dioxide-removal systems are inte- grated with makeup air provided by an air handler to fully heat and cool the fermentation workspace, while providing safe conditions for occupants. The systems include monitoring and alarm to evacuate the space if CO 2 levels exceed the OSHA eight-hour exposure limit (5,000 ppm). The system is variable to modu- late as CO 2 levels go up and down. Tempera- ture-controlled rooms for wine stabilization THE FRENCH EVOLUTION! FLEURS d e L A F I T T E FLEURS d e L A F I T T E Lafitte-USA.com A New Generation of Ultra Premium Natural Cork