Turley Wine Cellars – St. Helena, California
Grape pumace plus horse manure and some landscape waste
This is a simple aerated static pile system that started out at approximately 300 cubic yards in volume. Composting reduces the cost of pumace disposal and recovers the value of compost for use back in the vineyards. The primary objective is improving the soil. Status: Currently Under Construction.

Turley Wine Cellars – Paso Robles, California
Grape pumace plus horse manure and some landscape waste.
As above, this is a simple aerated static pile system that started out at approximately 300 cubic yards in volume. Composting reduces the cost of pumace disposal and recovers the value of compost for use back in the vineyards. The primary objective is improving the soil.

Large Wine Maker - Napa Valley, California

Following the 2006 grape harvest, O2Compost provided assistance with a pilot project at a large winery in Napa Valley, in an effort to demonstrate the benefits of utilizing composted grape pumice in the vineyards instead of land applying the raw waste. The challenge with grape pumice composting is that it is an annual (not an on-going) operation and it occurs at the same time as the grape harvest, an extremely busy season for all those involved in the wine making process. The wineries that compost their by-products must have the site prepared well in advance and be willing to dedicate the necessary labor to properly manage the pumice as it is generated. With this level of commitment, agricultural sustainability can be achieved.

Upper Valley Disposal Service, St. Helena, California
The business of composting grape pumice.
For the UVDS system, we use ten 5-HP blowers to induce airflow through the pile, each blower controlling a 40-foot wide zone. When fully constructed, this pile measured 100-feet wide, 550-feet long and 12-feet high, resulting in a total volume exceeding 20,000 cubic yards. In 2004, this system composted five such piles.