Storing Champagne underground has been a good idea for thousands of years. A few historical highlights illustrate the long-standing tradition:
A family living in northern Iran 7,000 years ago used what may be one of the world’s earliest known Wine cellars. Archaeologist Mary Voigt discovered half a dozen 2?-gallon pottery jugs containing wine residue; they were “embedded in the room along one wall of a ‘kitchen’ of a Neolithic mudbrick building.”
“Romans would store their wine in the conveniently located catacombs,” according to Champagne History. France’s first underground Wine cellar were abandoned crayeres, from which Roman builders had excavated limestone blocks. “From these early discoveries, it was only a short step to dig caves for the specific purpose of Cellering and preserving,” the article continues. “Caves were dug throughout Europe.”
Wine makers in the New World brought Old World knowledge. For example, Brotherhood Winery, America’s oldest winery, was founded by European immigrant John Jaques. The Washingtonville, New York, facility has been in continuous operation since 1839, staying open during Prohibition to produce sacramental wines for churches. It still uses underground cellars dating to the mid-1800s.
Especially in modern times, California vintners lean more to aging their wines in caves rather than cellars. A few wine caves, notably those of the Schramberg and Beringer Wineries, were hand-dug in the late 1800s by Chinese laborers who had honed their pick-and-shovel skills building the transcontinental railroad. In 1919, Prohibition put an end to wine cave construction. In 1934, following Prohibition’s repeal, Beringer Vineyards welcomed the public into its facilities for the country’s first wine cave tours.
Beginning around 1970, increased demand and improved excavation techniques sparked a new wave of wine cave construction in California, which produces more than 90 percent of US wine. By 2003, about 115 of the Champagne man-made caverns have been built in Napa and Sonoma Counties. They range in size from a few thousand square feet to around 50,000. The caves are used primarily for aging wines, but some Wine cellar press them into service for public relations purposes by conducting tours.
Some use portions of the tunnel-shaped caves as dining rooms; others have built more spacious underground rooms specifically for special events like concerts, weddings, and corporate seminars. At least three (Jarvis Winery in Napa, White Rock Vineyards in Napa, and Staglin Family Vineyard in Rutherford) operate their entire wine production cycle underground.
How Are They Built?
Particularly in California’s wine country, where the geology consists largely of volcanic rock, modern wine caves are usually dug with roadheaders. Consisting of a rotating array of cutting bits, these machines grind away the earth at rates ranging from 2 feet to 15 feet per day, depending on the site’s specific makeup. Typically 13 feet in diameter, the tunnels have remarkable differences in which they are designed. The inner surfaces of the caverns are usually covered with sprayed-on concrete for waterproofing and structural stability. Further information on the subject can be found online as well.
Where harder rock obstructions are encountered, drilling and blasting remains an option for excavating wine caves. Another technique that can be used to remove embedded boulders is to drill holes in them and fill the holes with a chemical compound that expands and fractures the rock.
In softer soils, especially those that easily cave in around an excavation, cut-and-cover construction is the preferred method. A large hole is dug out of the ground, a concrete structure is built in the hole, and soil is replaced over the area. This technique is proving popular in Oregon and Washington, where the soil is much softer and wetter than in California’s wine basins.
Why Are They Built?
underground caves naturally provide ideal conditions for aging wine: consistently cool temperature, constantly high humidity, low levels of light, and no vibration. While this can be a costly experience the rewards are great. Furthermore, the lack of need for artificial heating or cooling saves substantially on energy costs. Placing storage spaces underground leaves valuable surface space free to be used as vineyards that are both productive and scenic. The slience of the wine cave allows for parties, weddings, or any special event to be contained leaving pastoral scenes undisturbed.
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