By Gerald Dlubala
From coast to coast, the winery business is booming. With the latest statistics showing upwards of 8,300 wineries in North America, the competition is stronger than ever, making it critical for winemakers to build brand loyalty early, ideally within the first visit or tasting experience. Although the construction of a winery is an industrial project, it’s also about creating an enjoyable, customer driven, retail environment. Success in the wine industry depends on the work of many individuals but always starts with a thorough plan of action.
Planning Is Critical
Burt Shell, Director of Group Sales for industry leader Nucor Buildings Group, has over 30 years of experience and product knowledge in the metal building industry, including significant experience in the construction of wineries.
“Planning is always essential, and we do it in a uniquely different way than most companies. We use visual selling through 3D technology. With virtual reality (Oculus), we can walk you through your entire building and operation process before starting any construction. From start to finish on a 3D level, you will see and experience the flow of product and people through your entire facility, allowing you to make necessary changes before breaking ground rather than during the construction process. This step alone will save money on building costs, automatically raising your return on investment,” Shell says.
Nucor prides themselves in their strengths in design function and material performance to create the perfect environment for the owner’s business within the available footprint.
“The winery business is a very complicated one,” says Shell. “You need various professionals at different times to not only make it work but also to make sure it is set up to make a profit. Once we begin, we have the ability to integrate design flexibility from the tasting rooms to barrel storage to manufacturing and production facilities, bringing economic savings to the owner. Once we know the specifications of what we’re dealing with, we plan upfront for things like large, open spaces to accommodate better flow and traffic; the installation of properly rated racking systems for barrel storage; and even specific underground rebar needs for proper foundation related issues. We make sure our structure fits the business needs so we can confidently pass the project on to the architects and design-build teams to finish what they need to do; knowing that any profile panel, exterior cladding, or special treatments chosen will fit our structural frames and supports. This is the way to build for long term performance.”
Tom O’Neil, principal architect at O’Neil Architects in Leesburg, Virginia, agrees. “Upfront planning is critical, and time spent on a detailed master plan will always save money up front. Everything takes space, and from our experience, your vision will likely take more space than originally thought, so situate the buildings in your plan to allow for design changes or future expansion. Be aware of location-specific demands. For example, here in Virginia, you have to look at things like wastewater systems because you need a well-based wastewater system before you even get started.”
Building Flexibility Is A Must
“Using straightforward buildings is best,” says O’Neil. “We begin with a simple approach, using either a post-frame style of construction, similar to a pole barn, or pre-engineered metal. These are the type of buildings that are the easiest to modify and change.”
“It’s important to be able to add as much character through add-ons and treatments as needed,” says Shell. “That initial flexibility with your framing and structure is what will ultimately make it possible to accommodate the treatments and add-ons that you need for your buildings.”
“And some of those add-on treatments may astonish your customers,” says Doug Yancy, advertising manager for Varco Pruden, a world leader in innovative pre-engineered steel building systems. “Tasting rooms, barrel storage and labs can all be steel framed buildings with your choice of exterior cladding. While the structure is metal, the look and feel can have the traditional appearance of a European winery. Buildings should naturally be tall enough to accommodate the huge tanks of a wine production plant, and while most beverage production facilities are spread out, featuring low pitch roofs (1:12 or 2:12), most of our designed wineries have a more architectural look and feel with higher pitched roofs, as much as 4:12 or 6:12.”
“The necessary basic setup for a winery includes the crush pad production area, the building for your tank/barrel storage and the caser area,” says O’Neil. “These can be done as simple or expensive as you want, with the preferred types of materials dependent on how much customer access you’re willing to allow. Do you want to show off the barrel storage room with barrels staged in racks? The fermentation tanks, or bottling/casing area? Of course, you need the tasting room because that’s the easiest and quickest way to make money and build a following.”
Shana Reiss is the principal architect for Reiss Design Studios, an architectural design firm based in San Luis Obispo, California. She has extensive experience in winery planning and building and has seen activity increase over the past three years for both new winery projects as well as those that were, for one reason or another, on hold.
“Winery facilities need to be easy to clean and maintain. Buildings here are more pre-engineered now since no one wants wood involved in the production facilities due to the chances of TCA contamination. We use a lot of insulated metal panels for quick construction and easy sanitation. Flooring is usually concrete with an epoxy coating to prevent the staining and damaging effects of wine. Food grade trench drains are perfect for cleanup, and the fermentation tanks are generally stainless steel.”
Trending Now
“The hottest way to go currently is the boutique winery route,” says Reiss. “These small-batch wineries produce less than 20,000 cases annually and have more flexibility to try new things within a smaller footprint. They can react to trends faster and get those products in the hands of consumers for tasting.”
“Within the design of a winery and production facility, new trends have started and continued to develop,” says Reiss. “One of these, especially in California, is the focus on water conservation. Wastewater removal is one of the biggest costs in winery production because of general cleaning, sanitation of equipment and vineyard irrigation. The amount of water used can be tremendous, as is then the cost for the wastewater removal. So a conscientious effort to use less water is considered a win across all areas, saving money throughout the production process to final wastewater removal.”
There are other cost-saving and sustainable measures that can be implemented during construction.
Shell says “It starts with using recycled steel, and Nucor is the largest, recycling 1200 pounds of steel every second of every day, 365 days a year. Additionally, we’ve seen thermal performance taking shape as an energy saver, introducing solar panel installation where possible. You might not see them as a consumer, but they can be used on the production facilities out back, installed on roofs or out of sight on ground mounted assemblies. Insulated pre-engineered panels can help with temperature stability in the storage rooms and with summer cooling — customers like feeling like they’re outdoors, even when not, so natural daylight lighting systems are big. Another thing we do is barcode our trailers of materials so that when they are delivered, we can scan the trailer and place the materials specifically at the location that they will be used. We move our product one time only to put it up, speeding the erection process by the subcontractors having all of their needed materials within reach.”
Yancy says, “There has been an increase In the use of skylights for ambient lighting. Although we haven’t seen a great deal of requests for rainwater collection, green and LEED strategies are being implemented, just not necessarily in widely recognizable ways, such as recycled steel content or efficient water run-off designs. We have seen a good mix of wood and stone interiors as well as modern designs on the exteriors.”
“Wineries are trying to be greener, but it’s not considered a driving factor,” says Reiss.” Many factors in going green depend on your production site and surrounding environmental landscape. Some areas just can’t execute every green method or idea, so they have to work with what they have control over. These include low-cost lighting, more efficient night cooling techniques, using pre-engineered, insulated metals in their construction, recycling of wastewater and more efficient layouts (less movement of wine equals less labor involved). Wineries can use automated systems such as dedicated pump over systems, lessening the need for someone to physically be on hand around the clock to perform these duties. There are also solar panels for electrical assistance and very productive and clean automated picking machines, allowing the produce to go directly into the tanks without the need for extensive manual labor. Future efficiency and savings may be in the actual grape farming because it is becoming so much more efficient.”
“We’ve done the LEED certified, but that’s strictly up to the owner,” says O’Neil. “The buildings can be sustainable by using recycled barn wood, glass or old metal roofing for building components and décor, but it’s still mostly wood and metal, usually of local origin.”
The Importance of Tasting Rooms
From an architectural design point-of-view, tasting rooms demand special treatment because of the maturing wine market and massive competition. At a minimum, tasting rooms should be covered spaces, made out of materials that complement the winemaker’s story. Wineries that are successful tend to have and promote a storyline. Consumers want to know about the winemaker, their path, and the origins of their process from the vine through the bottle. The space should be tailored to the crowd, which can be one larger room or several smaller rooms, opening up and connecting when the business is scheduled or expected to be larger. As day trips bring more consumers in, the tasting room is where the experiences will happen, so the quality level of that room and décor rises. It’s integral to the customer experience.
“The tasting room is where image comes in,” says O’Neil. “You’re letting your customers know your identity and the story of your wine. Scenery counts, so the wineries here that have that great mountain view and more natural appeal can use more glass in their design and get away with less décor. Others that don’t have that view have to work harder with décor and design.”
“Tasting rooms should tell your story while providing exceptional customer service and flow,” says Reiss. “They’re more numerous now, but you don’t want a large tasting room that can appear empty. Tasting rooms should be intimate, so they provide a lively experience to share with friends, yet still be a value-oriented space, because it is the first point of sales, and direct sales are always best.”
Return Visits Are The Goal
Wineries are looking for more than one-time visits, and the architecture should help achieve that goal by designing attractive and welcoming tasting rooms and event spaces for live music, private parties and weddings. Architects can create distinct atmospheres with natural elements, such as lounge areas that mimic living rooms. As more and younger consumers are enjoying wine, they bring expectations of not only great wine in a great atmosphere but also great food served from chefs in residence. Architecturally designed spaces allowing the winery to partner with trending restaurants or local cheesemakers for ticketed pairings events or classroom opportunities can deepen customer experiences and translate into return trips, extended stays and brand loyalty. Many now offer residential villas, condos or a bed-and-breakfast experience for an extended wine lifestyle vacation. Wineries must formulate an experience that coincides with their story, and like any great story, the beginning and end are critical.
