Supporting Virginia’s Expanding Wine Industry
In recent years, interest in winery building has increased dramatically on the East Coast – in some cases replacing more traditional farming operations. Virginia currently has more than 130 wineries, a number that continues to grow. Virginia Tech Professor Bruce Zoecklein has been at the forefront of this trend, helping both start-up and established wineries to flourish.
At this year’s Wineries Unlimited conference held in Valley Forge, Pa., Zoecklein, who is also a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist and state enologist, presented a seminar titled “Winery Planning and Design.” He has presented this full-day, research-based seminar at a dozen different locations over the past several years, providing a solid foundation for investors and beginning vintners exploring design considerations for their own winery ventures.
Zoecklein’s program covers subjects ranging from the basics of grape receiving, fermentation, storage and bottling, to more esoteric winery design considerations, including business goals and the economics of establishing a winery.
“Once I identify all the parts and discuss how they integrate, we go through several case studies to illustrate various winery layouts and critique them as a group,” says Zoecklein. The extensive workshop also covers winery equipment needs, wine caves, tasting-room designs, green wineries and sustainable grape growing practices, winery refrigeration, water requirements, wastewater treatment and sanitation, and much more.
The information obtained at the seminar has had a positive effect on Jim Dolphin of Virginia’s Delaplane Cellars. After leaving behind a career as CFO of two NYSE-traded companies, Dolphin began construction on a winery that will produce 800 cases in its first year, and is expected to eventually grow to about 3,500 cases annually. After attending one of Zoecklein’s seminars, Dolphin felt he was
equipped with the tools and the support he needed to begin a successful business in the winery industry. “In one place, I
was exposed to things I might not have thought of. I learned a lot,” says Dolphin.
Zoecklein’s research supports his outreach goal of educating growers and producers on methods they can use to boost quality and reduce inefficiency. His research includes work to reduce the incidence of grape fungal degradation, characterize grape and wine aroma and flavor precursors, determine the effects of viticultural and enological factors on
aroma and flavor compounds, and evaluate new grape cultivars and clones for Virginia.
For details on the enology program at Virginia Tech, go to www.vtwines.info.