Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/629061
WINEMAKING TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT 70 WINES&VINES February 2016 hot and cold water. "When you open that hot water valve, the water coming out of that faucet is instantly 102° F, perfect for (yeast) rehydration," he said. "The amount of water that that thing saves is mind boggling." One large membrane press, a Europress by Scharfenberger, han- dles all pressing at the winery. To make that quicker and more effi- cient, it's connected with a fixed, 2-inch air hose to the winery's Air Technology West compressor. The winery has a 15-horse- power, variable-speed unit that requires relatively little power for normal operations. At peak moments, like a busy harvest day, a 40-horsepower compressor is activated. "When there are peak air-demand times—when the press is calling for air, for exam- ple—that one will kick on and back up the whole system," he said. "So you're using the energy from the little compressor most of the time, but when you really need air, Big Bertha kicks in and says, 'Have some air.' " Spacious cave system Built by The Cave Co. of St. Hel- ena, the winery cave provides space for barrel storage and other winemaking operations. The cave includes a chamber that can be heated or cooled depending on what's needed. "This section of the cave is fully insulted; there's 4 inches of polyiso insulation all the way around you, including the floor," Stacey said. When Wines & Vines visited the winery, Stacey had a few bar- rels finishing malolactic fermen- tation. He said the room can be warmed to 73° F or cooled to 52° F. The room is ideal for controlling the temperature of the entire vol- ume of the barrel to ensure a red wine finishes malolactic fermenta- tion or a rosé in stainless steel barrels continues to ferment slow and cold. Just as in the cellar, there are water and gas stations spread lib- erally throughout the cave. As Stacey strolls between the barrels set on stainless steel racks, he mentions he worked with the ar- chitect plotting 50-foot circles on the plans to ensure a hose was always just a few steps away and that almost any type of job could be done in any corner of the pro- duction space. Several glycol hookups are also located through- out the cave for fermentations in T-bins with temperature-control plates. The steel racks along the cave walls support barrels stacked on blocks three high and are used primarily for Bordeaux varieties that rest for months without re- quiring much work aside from topping. Barrels holding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which typi- cally require some stirring or rack- ing soon after filling, are placed on standard, two-barrel racks in the main cave tunnel. Stretching more than 130 yards from end to end and mea- suring 32 feet wide and 25 feet tall, the main tunnel took a year to complete. "I've been told it's the single-largest tunnel in Napa Val- ley," Stacey said. The cave is large enough to ac- commodate barrels stacked six high at its highest point in the center with a five-high stack be- hind that and a four-high stack against the wall. After the 2015 Napa earthquake, Stacey said bar- rels will never be stacked that high—in fact, the winery plans to switch to earthquake-resistant racks soon. Put Your Money Precision Frost Protection, Target Those Frost Pockets! READ MORE ABOUT IT AT www.shurfarms.com Where Your Frost Is! SHuR FARMS Frost Protection Colton, CA (909) 825-2035 info@shurfarms.com A VinWizard temperature probe is on the left and a valve screen on the right in this open-top fermenta- tion tank.