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TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING January 2018 WINES&VINES 107 d i s c o n n e c t , a n d a 2 0 0 - a m p 277/480-volt three-phase solar combiner panel on the building exterior adjacent to the existing power company's electrical meter. Next, they positioned an 80kW solar array comprised of 250 Ca- nadian Solar CS6X-320P 320-watt s o l a r m o d u l e s a n d 8 4 A P S YC1000A-3-NA-480 micro invert- ers atop the roof behind the solar modules, mounted upon a Sun- modo racking system containing 10 rows of 25 solar modules that ended up covering 5,120 square feet of roof area. A crane lifted the panels into place, and local vendor Gillespie Roofing installed the mounting brackets as well as a rubber boot around the panels to ensure compatibility with the existing Firestone roof. An APS ECU-Z W/Zigbee communicator ties into The Walls' existing local internet system to allow for 24-hour online viewing from an in-house PC monitor, delivering an entire his- tory of the winery's solar system production at a glance. "In the approximately 10 months it has been operational, it has generated over 61,000 mega- watt hours of green energy, repre- senting the power for nearly 185,000 lights," according to Kelly. "This has saved nearly 45 tons of CO 2 from being emitted in the air, and been the equivalent of planting nearly 2,300 trees for carbon absorption." In addition to production in- frastructure investments, The Walls' sustainability commitment extends to its 20-acre estate vine- yard in The Rocks District of Mil- ton-Freewater AVA. "We anticipate incorporating vineyard practices to make our wines as sustainable as possible," Kelly said. "All 20 acres will be planted at the same time (spring 2018) by hand with Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvi- gnon, Cabernet Franc, Tempra- nillo, Merlot and some Rhône white varietals. It's worth the in- vestment to plant all at once, be- cause we want to plant everything organically. We know we're going to make better wine and feel the quality of organically grown fruit is superior to conventionally grown fruit. We want to farm or- ganically to help improve the sus- tainability of the local ecosystem as well." Blueprint for collaboration Already an impressive blueprint for efficiency, the winery also strongly supports innovation and collaboration. "The Walls is very much a team effort," says May- field, the winemaker. "During har- vest these roles change a bit. We are a small team, we all pitch in where needed. Mike has such a brain for business.…He is the heart of what we do at The Walls." Mayfield's brother, Jake May- field, serves as director of winery operations and ensures the pro- duction facility functions seam- lessly, including maintenance, Winery Fulfillment Services (WFS) is a family-owned wine fulfillment center in Walla Walla, Washington, bringing fulfillment expertise to the wine industry. Experience in direct to consumer shipping and compliance, aided by aggregating volume through one single, integrated system, allows WFS to provide the most cost-efficient shipping solution available to wineries. Our mission is to provide you with professional and efficient services with your wine club fulfillment, daily shipping of tasting room sales, and online ordering, ecommerce and more. WFS offers a complete line of specialty services tailored to meet any additional needs you may have. From case-goods storage to gift packaging to container loading and offloading, we offer it all. • Convenient deep storage for case goods and dry goods • Club and Daily pick/pack processing • Custom packaging and assembly services • Total visibility tracking • Order shipping and compliance services • Inventory management • Collateral material management For more information, please contact us at info@wineryfulfillmentservices.com or (509) 876-2461. The Walls' wine-production facility on West Pine Street in Walla Walla previ- ously was used by Whitman Cellars.