Mtg. 3.19.10

My father and I met to discuss layout and square footages.

First we had to determine how many tons of grapes would be coming into the winery.

Vineyard size (including future growth): 5 acres

4 tons/acre on avg.

20 tons of grapes

1200 cases total = 144,000 bottles

A wooden wine case is about 7"x13"x20"

In the fermentation area, there will be 1 1,000 gallon tank (d=6', h=8') and 4 500 gallon tanks

(d=4', h=6')

Barrels: 2500 gallons of wine

in 60 gallon barrels = 48 barrels

12 racks, 3 high, 2 aisles

Bordeaux barrels--height=3', mid circumference 2.25'

Google Map

A general overview of the land, with approximate locations of potential winery and vineyard

A few Images..

I've scanned a few images from my sketchbook..

Not sure how legible this is, but this diagram is showing programmatic spaces with adjacencies. The red notes are from Ron Barrett of Kinkead Ridge.

Below is a very basic sketch of the layout of Kinkead Ridge Winery.

This is the first scheme I came up with for the winery layout. I chose to go with a linear design for good flow throughout the winemaking process. The first level would be built into a hill to create better insulation for the production area.

The next scheme is more box-like, but keeps the same adjacencies as the first scheme. This scheme would also be built into a hill. My dad likes the idea of a "wine cave" where the wine ferments and ages. This scheme would provide some temperature and humidity controls like a wine cave without having to actually go through the process of finding a proper site for a cave and constructing it. Here's an image.

And now just a couple of sketches..an exterior shot and an idea for a tasting bar

(the top of the bar is frosted glass, held up by old oak barrels)

Elk Creek Vineyards | 2.20.10

Vineyard

spiral staircase up to offices

second floor gallery space w/ tables, looks down into tasting bar

doors leading to production area

stairs leading up to second level, retail/restaurant space beyond

The day after visiting Kinkead Ridge and Meranda-Nixon Wineries in Ohio, we headed south to Elk Creek Vineyards in Owenton, KY to compare this much larger operation to the smaller wineries. Other than the size, the big difference between the wineries is the initial focus--the 2 smaller wineries in Ohio started with developing their vineyards before they began making wine (predominantly from their own grapes), while Elk Creek started with making wine from imported grapes, then began growing their own grapes. The winery at Elk Creek is massive comparatively, housing the winemaking production area, along with a 3-story atrium-like space used for tasting, eating, office space, retail, gallery space, music venue, and an outdoor patio space.

The woman working the tasting bar was kind enough to give my dad and me a tour of the winemaking facility. You enter through huge wooden and glass doors onto concrete floors, walking between rows of large french oak barrels. The adjacent area is where the bottling takes place, as well as where dry goods are stored along with 1000+ gallon tanks used for aging. The next area is much cooler--almost like a big garage--where the fermentation tanks are stored along with the press and crusher for when the grapes come in, either on a truck or from the vineyard. The design of the production made sense and seemed like it would flow quite well--

crush pad-->fermentation-->barrels/tanks(aging)-->bottling-->storage/retail

Outside of the production area the floor treatment changes to hardwood, large picture windows allow views out to the vineyard and patio space, and oversized wooden beams give the area an elegant, sophisticated feel. A small retail space stands to the right of the front doors, next to the counter where you can order soup, sandwiches, or salad (the food was similar to Panera but better!). The tasting bar is located right in the middle of the first floor, with access from all 4 sides, allowing several guests to be served simultaneously. Behind the tasting bar are tables and chairs where you can sit down and enjoy your meal, along with wine racks lining the walls featuring all the wines made at Elk Creek. There is also a large fireplace and couches so guests can sit and sip on a glass of wine. The second floor serves as a gallery space, but also has a few tables if the first floor fills up. The third floor is office space for the winery; it is accessed by a spiral staircase on the second floor--a beautiful, easily controlled entry point.

Overall, Elk Creek is what you think of when you think "winery." Possibly a bit overdone, but closer to the aesthetic qualities we are trying to achieve with this winery design.

Meranda-Nixon Winery | 2.19.10

thick walls

grape press

660 gallon fermentation tank

Dry storage

My dad and I also visited Meranda-Nixon Winery in Ripley, OH on February 19th. Run by Seth and Tina Meranda, they began growing grapes in 2003, producing their first bottle of wine in 2007. Unlike Kinkead Ridge Winery, Meranda-Nixon includes a tasting room and restaurant as part of their operation. Their tasting room/retail area consists of several round tables with chairs, a bar for tasting and purchasing wine, 2 ADA restrooms, and some storage space. Guests are able to see acres of grapes out the large windows on the North and East facades of the building. The production facility is an entirely separate building connected by a temporary tent.

The production building is somewhere around 65'x40', or around 2500 sf. The walls are about 8" thick with temperature control to keep the building cool. It is also outfitted with several vents so the fumes from the fermentation process are not a problem. The dry goods are stored in the same area where the wines are fermented and aged, which Mr. Barrett at Kinkead Ridge did not suggest; however, in such a small scale winery, a separate storage area may not be an option. The building also has 2 overhead doors on opposite walls to allow tractors/forklifts to drive straight through (good for circulation). High quality lighting allows the true colors of the wines to be seen. The concrete floors appeared to be in good shape, sloping towards the trench drains near the fermentation tanks.

Seth and Tina were extremely accommodating and allowed us to wander around inside the winery and pester them with questions about their operation.

Kinkead Ridge Continued..

More notes from Mr. Barrett at Kinkead Ridge:

+FERMENTATION AREA

use thicker, good quality concrete for the floors (acidity of the wine will start to eat away at low quality concrete)--4000 psi, 5" minimum

SLOPE concrete to floor drains--minimum of 1/16":1'

Area must be well insulated!---2x6 walls, 24" o.c., R-22 insulation in walls (5.5"), R-38 in roof

Foundation insulation--2.5" polystyrene

Watch thermal breaks--doors and windows, esp. overhead doors

+Moisture Control--

Vent moisture out through the roof

Need good soffit ventilation

Relative Humidity varies depending on phase in the winemaking process

Fermentation requires lower relative humidity (less than 50% r.h.)

Barrel aging--barrels like higher r.h. (75%)

+High Ceilings--

Don't go under 10' (Kinkead at 10'-3")

overhead doors at 8' usually--need room for tracks above door

able to stack barrels 4 high with barrel racks

14' ceilings are common, some as high as 16'-18'

+Lighting--

adequate lighting is a necessity

use High CRI tubes--a bit more expensive, allows you to see the color of the wine properly

lower CRI tubes gives off greens and gives the wine off colors

In the Tasting Room--

Don't use cool white fluorescents--throws off the colors of the wines

Can use warm lighting for Reds, but not whites (throws off color..)

+General Storage--

similar to a garage

floor must be able to handle large loads (forklifts, tractors, etc.)

don't need drains or sloped floors

9' ceiling height is sufficient

little insulation

@ Kinkead--used 2x4x9 wall construction

overhead door

Light electrical load

+Finished Goods Storage--

Excellent insulation (less than fermentation area, but more than storage)

windows

secure area--alarm system is a plus

+Tasting Room--

Bar w/o seating--Don't want people to sit and spend hours there

keep people moving--could have cocktail tables (still no seating)

TTB--need an alarm system, high windows, very secure

2 ADA restrooms

Baseline Temperature--55 degrees(reds), 45 degrees(whites)

NO open wooden beams (esp. unpainted)--allows mildew growth which affects the taste of the wine

+Laboratory--

basically a kitchen

counter space, cabinets, storage, fridge, deep sink

about 6'x8' space

Ventilation is very important!--during fermentation, large amounts of CO2 are produced (most fatalities occur because of poor ventilation in fermentation area)

ALWAYS have truck access--for 53' trailer--to storage and crush pad

forklift access to truck

Equipment--

--Press

--Crusher

--Fermentation Tanks

--Barrels

Kinkead Ridge Visit | 2.19.09

(trench drain)

Meeting Notes from Kinkead Ridge Winery visit with Ron Barrett:

+ Questions to ask yourself--

What will the winery be?

Location?

Target customer?

How to sell?

Proportion of red to white wine?

Initial vs. ultimate size?---Plan for future growth!

Most wineries experience significant growth.

+ Initial Size? try 5000-10000 cases---keep production costs down, make profit without expensive wine, afford to distribute to retailers

+ TTB--the federal tax people (officially the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)

this department deals with all the regulations, taxes, licensing, labeling, permiting, etc. that come with wine growing, making and selling.

The most important aspect of the TTB's regulations to designing a winery has to do with when the winery has to start paying taxes on the wine. When wine is in bond, no taxes are owed (like when the bottled wine is being kept in the Bonded Warehouse within the winery). When wine leaves the Bonded Warehouse for the Tax Paid room, it is out of bond, and becomes taxable.

+ Wastewater

use slotted floor drains (trench drains), minimum of 6" wide--the wider the better!

the wastewater is loaded with suspended solids (it smells!)

refer to book: Winery Utilities: Planning, Design and Operation by by David R. Storm

continued later (Fermentation is next!)..

Winery Notes | 2.19.10

Before meeting with Mr. Ron Barrett of Kinkead Ridge, my dad and I got together to come up with some ideas as far as what he wants for his winery:

Budget: because this design is for the most part hypothetical for the time being, we decided not to come up specific numbers for a budget, but to just design reasonably. If the design is built later on, we may have to value engineer a bit.

Volume: start with 5 acres of vines--about 3250 vines

[looking at an average yield per vine of 9 lbs. of grapes, giving us 3/4 gallon of wine per vine = 2437 gallons]

at 5 bottles/gallon, we end up with approximately 12,000 bottles (around 1000 cases of wine)

Growth Capacity: Design for 3000-3500 gallons. Growth up to 6000 gallons.

Business Strategy: Wholesale vs. Retail? Mostly retail--include tasting room/retail area for guests to taste and purchase wine; parking, 2 ADA restrooms, possibly a kitchen?

Philosophy: High quality wine in limited quantities, Mostly reds, some whites

Initial Program

After reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running A Winery, I was able to use their sample floor plan to come up with a preliminary program, going something like this:

PUBLIC

Visitor Center

Tasting Room

Restrooms

SUPPORT

Office Space

Kitchen

Dry Storage

Bonded Warehouse (bottle storage)

Tax Paid Room

PRODUCTION

Crush Pad

Fermentation Tank Storage

Barrel Storage

Laboratory

Bottling Line

As a newcomer to the winemaking process, I was unsure of what some of these areas were used for, so here's a little description of each area.. (or at least the ones that may need some clearing up. Not going to describe what goes on in a kitchen, sorry)

Crush Pad: where the grapes are brought in from the vineyard, or delivered from elsewhere, on trucks or tractors, and put through a crusher and destemmer, then a grape press. So this is where the grapes are turned into juice. Usually outside on a sloped concrete surface with storm drains and some sort of roof structure to protect the grapes from precipitation.

Fermentation Tank Storage: Inside, where the grape juice goes after being crushed and pressed. The number and size of tanks depends on the size of the winery; they come in several sizes, such as 500 gallon and 1000 gallon. In this area, temperature control is CRUCIAL. Access to water is essential for cleaning tanks and floors. Low humidity in this area.

Barrel Storage: After being fermented the wine is pumped into either oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, or some other kind of container where the wine is allowed to age before being bottled. Like the fermentation tanks, these containers come in all sizes as well (at the smaller wineries I visited, the barrels were around 50-60 gallons). Ceilings at 10'-14' on average to allow for barrels to be stacked 3-4 high. Temperature control remains CRUCIAL in this area. Higher humidity in barrel storage (around 50% relative humidity). Storage here for equipment.

Laboratory: Where the winemaker tests the wines for pH levels, brix etc. Takes samples from the barrels while the wines are aging. Similar to a kitchen--lots of counter space, microwave, fridge, burners, computer

Bottling Line: After the wine ages, it is put through a bottling line; some smaller wineries hire out for bottling rather than purchasing their own bottling equipment (I will be including a bottling line in my design, even if this is a smaller scale winery).

Bonded Warehouse: Where the bottles are stored before being sent out to wine shops, grocery stores, the tasting room, etc. As long as the bottles are in this area, they are not being taxed. Once they leave, they are taxable. I haven't quite grasped this whole idea yet.. the regulations regarding the production and sale of wine are quite extensive. (Here is the link to the government website which outlines all the information on wine taxes, labeling, permits, etc. http://www.ttb.gov/wine/index.shtml)

Tax Paid Room: Where the wine goes between the Bonded Warehouse and the Tasting Room. This is the area where the wine becomes taxable.

Tasting Room: Area where visitors can sample wines, buy wines, possible even used as a catering area depending on the winery (for the purposes of this design, the tasting room with be for tasting and purchasing wine, not a restaurant)

"Client" Meeting

Notes from a meeting with my dad (the client..) from way back in January..

Began by googling "winery design"

Came across several HUGE wineries designed by large architecture firms such as BAR Architects in San Francisco, Hall & Bartley Architects, and Boxwood Architecture. These wineries, while impressive, were not exactly the precedents we were searching for. These wineries make far more wine than the small scale winery I am designing, and the companies have quite a bit more money to toss into these buildings than we do.

A general google search for small scale winery design produced few results, with nothing very helpful.

So we continued into what my father wanted as far as his winery:

-inviting from a distance

-high ceilings

-concrete floors (sloped to storm drains)

-Outside crush pad with roof

-Office space

-Access to water, electricity

-Ample storage space

-Separate barrel rooms for reds and whites

-Tasting room

Midterm..

I'm a little late getting this blog set up. It's purpose is to follow my progress in designing a winery for my father on his land out in Brown County of Southwestern Ohio. Apparently he has a great spot for grape-growing! Anyway, I'm an architecture student and thought this would make for an interesting study project. Plus, it's a fun and helpful project for my dad as well. We've been trying to meet weekly to discuss where to go next (although, weekly doesn't always happen due to his full time job and my part-time job..).
This project has been going on for about 2 months now, so to bring everyone up to date..

January--lots of reading and research about vineyards, growing grapes, wineries, equipment etc.
From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine by Jeff Cox
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Winery by Thomas Pellechia
Winery Design edited by teNeues
February--Beginnings of design [bubble diagrams, adjacencies, intial floor plans, napkin
sketches]
Winery Weekend [February 19th-20th]
2.19: Visited Kinkead Ridge Winery in Ripley, OH (also in Brown Cnty). Spoke with owner and
wine maker Ron Barrett about small winery design (and much more about wineries in
general..more on that later)
Also ventured over to Meranda-Nixon Winery in Ripley to check out their setup and speak
with owner and wine maker Seth Meranda and his wife Tina.
2.20: Visited Elk Creek Winery in Owenton, KY and toured the winery--stark contrast from either
of the wineries in OH..a much larger operation.
Traveled a little further south past Lexington, KY to visit Jean Farris Winery and Bistro. We
were able to take a peak at their winery operation in the building behind the restaurant and
meet the winemaker Ben O'Daniel (who also makes wine at Elk Creek), and the owner,
Jean Farris.
Since the winery visits, I've been going over pages of notes from Mr. Barrett and attempting to
organize and apply all the information he and the other winery owners supplied me with so
willingly.

So there's a brief overview of the project thusfar..now back to the sketchbook!