Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62409
MANA GEMENT Alexana Winery of Dundee, Ore., which recently opened a new tasting room, is planning the second phase of its winery project: production space. Jon Lail, another St. Helena, Calif., architect with dozens of wineries under his belt, notes that most architects push green designs. This has many aspects, from materials used to minimize energy use and generating clean power on site. Orientation, overhangs, placement of glass and openings can have a huge impact. One of Lail's wineries is CADE on Howell Mountain in Napa County, which meets LEED-Platinum standards. Arkenstone, another new winery designed by Lail, uses a geothermal system. Vineyard 29, a Backen design, uses a microturbine cogeneration plant to heat and cool the winery and its caves. Almost everyone is adopting photovoltaic solar cells, too, notes Backen. One example is Tim Mondavi's new Continuum Winery. "It's beautifully sited for solar power on the roof," he says. Caves are a popular way to go green, as they require little maintenance and reduce energy requirements. "Caves are pretty economic, but becoming less so," Backen says, noting that these days, most caves include cooling systems since their natural temperature of about 63°F isn't low enough for optimum barrel storage. Some caves include rooms used for malolactic fermentation, so they have to be heated. These rooms are often chilled for cold stabilization as well. Heating can also be used for offices and event rooms. Unless carefully designed, the caves generally need mechanical ventilation, too. 68 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012