Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/66144
WINEMAKING Take away our Tanks are jacketed from top to bottom and plumbed for both hot and cold glycol. Secondary dimpled heating jackets at the bottom allow the heat to rise through the middle of the tank. to be, but you need to make a winery as flexible as possible so you can adapt to new technologies." With a mind for dynamic adaptability, the winery was furnished with more wa- ter heaters than currently needed; they fire up according to demand for maximum efficiency. There are empty slots in an expandable electrical panel to meet future power demands. A rollup door opens to an empty lot where it eventually may be a throughway to an expanded produc- tion area. Capped off pipes bolted to the ceiling of the production area end at bare walls where one day they could lead to future tanks and water outlets. Historical inheritance By purchasing the winery site, Hall not only gained a prime location south of St. Helena on bustling Highway 29, it also inherited valuable historical resources and assets. One of those assets was a stone winery, built in 1885, which operated until prohibition in 1920. Evidence shows that vines were planted on the property around the 1850s. The current plan is to begin re- storing the old stone building this summer. From 1933 until 1993, the historic stone winery and structures that grew up around it operated as the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery, aka The Co-op. The Co-op was founded by group of growers who invested in tanks and barrels after Prohibition, when there were few well- established brands in the Napa Valley. It was one of the largest winery sites in Napa Valley, which, according to Reyn- olds, made as much as 40% of the wine in the valley. Herein lies perhaps one of Hall's most valuable assets: entitlement. With the purchase of the property came a permit to make 1.2 million cases of wine per year. When a winery or any- thing industrial is built, all plans must go through a rigorous environmental impact report, which includes proposed use vs. historic use. "Because the his- tory of the use was so significant, our environmental impact was going to be a reduction in use. Our goal was going to be to reduce from the start." Reynolds said. Hall currently produces 50,000 cases with plans to gradually expand. Expansion plans could increase produc- tion to 200,000-250,000 cases, but it is and we're just like everyone else JVNW Recent Technologies: CS Rectangular Door full face gasket, Arken-swing Door spring-assisted, sealing, swing-away, oversized access Schlide auto pomace removal Combi Tank space saving sanitary seal, 2 heavy-duty cross-arms standard, 3 cross-arms for large tank applications 503.263.2858 | JVNW.com Wines & Vines AUGUsT 2011 41 INNOVATION