Wineries employ wind as well as sun in their trade

Browsing the aisles of your local wine store, you’ll find plenty of vintages proclaiming their “green” virtues, from the use of organic grapes to carbon-neutral wineries to sustainable growing.

A few brave souls have ventured beyond some of these approaches to turn to renewable energy for powering their facilities – for all the old world connotations and techniques of many vineyards, they still use the electric grid for lights, heat and power.

Earlier this year, Wines & Vines reported on the use of small wind turbines at the Anaba winery in Petaluma Gap, Calfornia – a 16-acre vineyard named after the so-called “anabatic” winds which blow through his property.

A 2.4-kilowatt small wind turbine helps provide the power – and some promotional support – for the 4,500 cases of wine the vineyard produces every year.

“We expect it to attract visitors, especially since it’s so visible at what is already one of the busiest intersections in Sonoma County,” founder John Sweazey told the publication. “And we also plan to use the turbine’s image on the labels of a new portfolio of Anaba wines that we will be introducing shortly after the first of the year.”

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