LEED-Certified Winemaking Facility Opens in Oregon

GreenBiz
July 7, 2006

DAYTON, Ore., July 7, 2006 - Stoller Vineyards, producer of artisanal pinot noir and chardonnay, has opened the first and only winemaking facility in Oregon to be 100% LEED-certified at the gold level. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

The winery serves as an example of what can be accomplished when environmental consciousness, visual aesthetic, and production functionality are partners in the design process, owners say.

"I was born on this property and spent much of my life here," says owner Bill Stoller. "The goal is to leave it better than we found it, something for our grandchildren to enjoy. We intend to maximize the quality of wine we produce while minimizing the facility's ecological footprint.

"Currently," he continues, "almost half of our electrical needs are being generated from solar panels. Our gravity-flow system results in a significant energy savings in the production process. We employed recycled construction materials throughout the building and catacombs built into the winery provide us with an eco-friendly space ideal for production and aging of wine.

"Rainwater runoff from the winery is collected in our 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 their pastures."

Cellars are cooled with nighttime air pulled through a thermal mass into the space by a fan at the winery's lowest point. Even in summer, the night air dips to 55 degrees, making it possible to maintain cellar temperature in a low-impact manner.

According to LEED certification consultant Nina Tallering of Green Building Services, "What stands out to me about the Stoller facility is that it was built for posterity. It says that green buildings are appropriate and achievable outside urban environments."