Winery Goes Green

Filed in archive Wineries on June 28, 2006

When thinking about making wine, we'd all like to believe it is a small mom and pop type organization. Even the "I Love Lucy" episode comes to mind when she was stomping around in a big vat of grapes, though I have to admit that doesn't make me want to drink wine!

But actually, many wine facilities are high tech operations, and just like any manufacturing process, they can hurt the environment. According to the Portland Business Journal, the Stoller Winery is trying to become environmentally friendly:

Stoller's state-of-the-art winery, located in the Willamette Valley town of Dayton, serves as an example of what can be accomplished when environmental consciousness, visual aesthetic and production functionality are partners in the design process, said owner Bill Stoller in a statement.

Half of the electrical needs for the facility is being generated from solar panels. Most of the facility was built with recycled construction materials. Rainwater runoff from the winery is collected in a pond. Wastewater is reused to irrigate a nearby pasture, and process solids (skins, stems and seeds) are used by a local organic dairy to fertilize its pastures. Cellars are cooled with nighttime air pulled through a thermal mass into the space by a fan at the winery's lowest point.

Stoller Vineyards produces estate-grown pinot noir and chardonnay.