Wines & Vines

September 2012 Winery & Vineyard Economics Issue

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MANA GEMENT vineyard is located on 20 acres donated by the college foundation just south of the teaching winery. Grapes will be ready for harvest in small quantities by 2015-16. Until that time, the winery will purchase grapes from other vineyards. White wines and some larger lots of red wines will be fermented in cooled, variable-capacity stainless steel tanks. Smaller lots of red wines will be fermented in half-ton MacroBins to keep fermentation temperatures low. Plan diagrams In the first four years of operation grapes will be purchased. We do not know the availability or the quantity, so we planned for 1,500 cases per year. If we plan for the production of seven or eight wine varieties (two white and five or six red), then the col- lege can start with three of the six planned stainless steel tanks plus the blending tank and 12 of the half-ton fermentors. Room six is used for barrels filled beyond 12 months. Room four is used for additional primary fermentation space, malolactic fermentation and wine in its first year of barrel aging. Barrel stack heights will be low in the early years and grow to three high at full capacity; it is possible to stack four high to increase floor space. As the vineyards come on line in 2016, the winery will go into full production mode, and all available floor space will be needed. Process wastewater Process water used to wash down equip- ment comes from filtered rainwater tanks based on the quantity listed in the table on page 53, which estimates a lean 1.5 gallons of water used for every gallon of wine pro- duced. This is an aggressive target but one that the college plans to maintain. Exterior wash-down water from process operations and equipment cleaning is directed to the swale at the edges of the crush pad. Interior wash-down water also is reclaimed and diverted to a perforated drainpipe below the swale. This beneficial irrigation for native trees will promote more rapid growth, provide shade from the western sun and visual screening for the residential neighbors directly to the west. Any water that isn't lapped up by these thirsty tree roots will end up in the natural swale to the north. The low-pH water will amend the soil, which has a high pH, and create a better environment for plant growth. WINES & VINES SEPTEMBER 2012 55 Rainwater harvesting Southwest Wine Center's 8,500-square- foot roof is designed to shade the winery and the outside working spaces as well as channel rainwater to two 10,000-gal- lon water-storage tanks. Rainwater will be cleaned, filtered and used for barrel room humidification, toilet flushing and process wash down. The system is de- signed to collect enough water through- out the year for these functions and not be supplemented with city water. After one year of collection the system will generate more water than is needed. It is entirely possible for this system to be net-zero for water usage. Sustainability The foresight by the college to suggest the adaptive reuse of an underutilized rac- quetball building into a winery is remark- able in and of itself and clearly the single most significant sustainable initiative of this project. The following is a list of sustainable initiatives for the Southwest Wine Center: • Adaptive reuse of an existing heavy mass walled building;

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