Tour of UC Davis Jackson Sustainable Winery Building and the Teaching and Research Winery

After another of Ed's board meetings, this time with the Executive Leadership Board of the Department of Viticulture and  Enology at UC Davis, we donned hard hats and green florescent vests for a private tour of the soon-to-be completed Jackson Sustainable Winery building, which will enable the adjacent winery, brewery, and food processing complex to become the first self-sustainable, zero -carbon teaching and research facility in the world. The $4 million building, slated for a grand opening May 29 of this year, was made possible by a $3 million pledge by the late Jess Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke, proprietor of Jackson Family Wines.

We also got another look at UC Davis's two- year old Robert Mondavi Institute Teaching and Research Winery, designed to serve as a test bed for production processes and techniques that conserve water, energy and other vital resources. The 34,000-square-foot-facility received official LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification--the highest environmental rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The photo provided here shows the world's first wireless fermentation system, thanks to a $3.5 million network designed, built and donated to the university by the president and CEO of Silicon Valley-based Cypress Semiconductor Corp., T.J. Rodgers, who is also a wine lover and winery owner. Amazingly, the 152 fermentation tanks are wrapped in rubber, inspired by wet suits!