By Roger Phelps
For some locals, the recession hasn't hurt much and it's just wine, wine, wine.
That's true in particular of Plymouth's Paul Sobon, who is expanding his family's Shenandoah Vineyards operation. He needs to crush more grapes to keep up with demand for the portion of the winery's output that is moderately priced, he said.
"We just ran out of room for processing grapes," Sobon said.
Weeks of work at the Steiner Road facility in Shenandoah Valley has gotten the installation of a new "crush pad" nearly half-finished, Sobon said.
"A crush pad is where we bring the grapes in to, where we process the grapes," he said. "This one's three-level, so it has the advantage of gravity. On top are the receiving bins, then an eight-foot drop to the press, the crusher. On the lower level are fermentation tanks. It's one of our bigger projects. We haven't built anything big since the late '80s."
Sobon said he decided to keep everything local, with the exception of his new grape press, which is being supplied by the distinguished Diemme company of Lugo, Italy.
"We're using a local contractor, Kirk Reuter, cement from the Amador Transit company, Meek's for our rebar, footing and forms; Bill Dillian (Dal Porto Excavation) for excavation and trenching, and for fill rock, Rick Vance of Plymouth," Sobon said.
Dillian said trenching is 70-percent complete, with no problems encountered or foreseen. The facility will be ready in September, Sobon said.
His family's Sobon Estates winery opened in 1856, making it the fourth-oldest winery in California. Shenandoah Vineyards opened in 1977.
