On a whim, Mary Roy visited Healdsburg and Dry Creek Valley in 2011.  Mary, her husband Bob Covert, and sister Nadin Roy, were owners of Midwest Center for Advanced Imaging, a successful company located in Chicago specializing in MRI and Women’s Imaging.  Mary was attending a medical conference and decided to take a little detour to Sonoma’s Wine Country. Seeking an outlet for her passion for food and wine, Mary was immediately seduced by the area’s beauty and creative spirit. So, what happened next?  Mary and Bob decided to become winemakers and farmers. 

Transforming a countryside into a long-term sustainable ranch takes imagination.  Lee Hudson, proprietor of Hudson Ranch, has cultivated a vision for farming into a tangible reality on a Carneros property in the Napa Valley. Hudson Ranch began planting in 1981 and, since then, has evolved into a fully-functioning farm that compliments the area’s natural surroundings. The ranch incorporates winemaking and hospitality facilities. While the Hudson Ranch is an interesting story of holistic farming, this Nordby Effect post discusses how their newly-built wine cave serves a greater purpose.

Building performance is a hot topic among design and construction professionals. This buzz phrase refers to a comprehensive approach in seeking solutions for saving energy, improving end-user comfort and reducing operational or maintenance costs.  Building performance initiatives focus on facility systems that support operational facilities. The key goals are sustainability and optimal performance throughout the structure’s lifetime.  It can be argued that a wine cave, by nature, defines building performance.

You could say an underground wine cave is Earth’s answer to the wine fridge. Varying in size and use, these spaces are intriguing and, more importantly, practical for wine aging and storage. Wine caves are not new. For hundreds of years, people have used these spaces to store wine for reasons that are just as relevant today. This post covers six persuasive and practical reasons why wineries should seriously consider storing wine in a cave.

Taking a journey into the earth is a "boring" adventure.

Before you read this post, you should know that this story is not subterranean fiction. There is a lot of truth to this story. If you are afraid of large sharp teeth or dark spaces, we advise you to go back to your regular work day - do NOT read any further. Simply exit this page. We’ll catch you on the next post. However, if you have a sense of adventure, embrace natural hazards, and have a curious mind, then we hope you will join us on our journey into the earth.

Digging deep into the cold earth is an attractive proposition for wineries. In most cases, underground environments provide ideal conditions for storing and fermenting wine. The decision to go underground may seem to be easy. However, special considerations need to be made. The following provides 9 things to consider for your next underground project.