Solar Powered Winemaking

Sustainable ideals go beyond organic and biodynamic.  It involves using fewer resources, especially energy. At Frey Vineyards we get half our energy from the sun.  In 2006, with the help of a California rebate program, we installed a 17 kilowatt solar system.  This gives us approximately 30,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year, providing enough energy to run our electric forklift, computers, office equipment, cellar pumps and bottling line.

The winery had to catch up with our family matriarch Beba Frey, who in 2004, installed a 5 kilowatt solar unit producing about 8,800 kilowatt hours per year for her house next to the winery. This system provides her with all her energy needs.  Other family members power their own homes with solar energy as well, some completely off the grid. Our goal of becoming 100% solar powered should come within the next few years and we are well on our way with our 22 kilowatt photovoltaic generators.

Also in store for the future are electric tractors that can be recharged from solar panels.