Carneros Getting Million-Gallon Custom Crush Facility

The Central Valley Business Times reported today that The Vintners Group, founded by Dennis Rippey, has broken ground on a million-gallon custom-crush facility in the Carneros Region. Carneros Vintners, Inc., a division of The Vintners Group of Lodi, says it should be ready for the 2009 harvest.

The Carneros facility includes future plans to expand to three million gallons. It is designed to have three different bladder press sizes, two different crusher sizes, and a variety of tank sizes. In addition, it is slated to have an elevated gravity flow crushpad for truck unloading.The 52,000-square-foot facility will provide storage for barrels, case goods and bulk wine in a temperature-controlled warehouse space. Rippey also has plans for a high-speed bottling line.

Rippey said the recession made it possible to get better prices on land, labor and construction materials.