Partners make ‘green wine’

One of the country’s leading data centre cooling vendors, STULZ New Zealand, has teamed up with an iconic winery to further support its sustainable practices with the latest cooling technology – an ultrasonic humidifier.

Mt Difficulty Winery, in Bannockburn, Central Otago, was designed as a low energy input winery with the entire development being housed in insulated buildings. STULZ New Zealand was brought on board to design a specialised ultrasonic humidifier for the winery’s barrel hall, which is sunk below ground level to enable stable and lower energy inputs.

The technology, when combined with an external air heat reclaim system, allows it to use ambient heating and cooling wherever possible, which ensures that the Mt Difficulty wines are cellared at the ideal temperatures.

STULZ New Zealand General Manager, Mark Langford, says: “Sustainability and energy conservation are top priorities for STULZ, so we knew we would be able to develop the ideal cooling technology for Mt Difficulty’s barrel hall. The ultrasonic humidifier has proven effective in maintaining Mt Difficulty’s standards as a low energy input winery, and since its installation in 2012, energy usage has reduced by a landslide.”

Known primarily for its data centre cooling expertise, STULZ New Zealand also provides energy efficient cooling solutions to a host of niche industry sectors from the arts to education, to health and aviation.

Winemaker at Mt Difficulty, Matt Dicey, says: “Our policy has always been to maintain energy efficiency and sustainability throughout the winery. By seeking a longterm technology solution that is innovative and ahead of the current practice, we are able to achieve a “gold standard” for humidification. STULZ’s technologically advanced systems use only one percent of energy required compared to an equivalent steam system. It was a no brainer for us.”

STULZ New Zealand is celebrating 10 years delivering mission critical cooling solutions after being established as a subsidiary of its Australian sister business in 2007. The parent company now holds 25-30 percent of the market in New Zealand and boasts an enviable client.