~ by Steve Guercia, Commercial Sales Manager

What more could I ask for? An opportunity to treat the water at a local winery! LaBelle Winery in Amherst was a brand new facility that would grow grapes, make and bottle wine, have a tasting room, a café, and a banquet hall. This job was going to be fun! And it would be okay to take my work home with me.

Then, I learned something very interesting about the process of making and bottling wine. There could not be any chlorine in the building as even a trace of it in the air would interfere with the process. Even household bleach can’t be used in the wine making area.

This presented a challenge as bleach and chlorine are commonly used for disinfection. We had to think differently about this facility. We also had to consider maintaining water quality for three different uses; there is domestic water use, irrigation, and fire suppression. All this water comes from the same well but is pumped, treated, and stored in different ways.

We spent a lot of time with the owners, really listening to them describe their process and what they needed from their water. These requirements were also considered by the general contractor and by the pump company. All of us had to work together to come up with one solution that worked for the winery and met all their requirements without the use of chlorine.

So it was fun to attend an event there recently with over 200 people and think “All these people are drinking my water”. Once we eliminated the typical way of doing things and thought about how we could provide what they needed anyway, ideas began to flow. Everyone worked together to match each area of expertise so everything worked together. The winery is well into its second year and everything is working perfectly.

So when you’re looking for something different to do, take a ride to Amherst and visit the LaBelle Winery. They have great wine, made right here an NH. And some of us think their water’s pretty good too. Then ask us how you can have that same great water too.