In the verdant Gaspereau Valley, overlooking the Minas Basin, nestles the vineyards of the Luckett family. The beauty of the place is salient and the wines; superb. But beneath the pronounced resplendence, the Luckett vineyard harbours a very precious secret — it is the greenest vineyard in all of Nova Scotia!
Pete and Sue Luckett have taken a fantastically novel approach by using advanced green building technologies to reduce the energy used to grow fine wines. Their secret? Building with Amvic insulated concrete forms (ICFs). After successfully constructing their cosy home with ICFs, the Lucketts decided to utilize the same technology when construction began on their winery in April last year. The building was complete in seven months (ICFs reduce construction time) and the Lucketts were able to start concocting their heavenly nectars. Said Pete Luckett; “The main advantage is that they (ICF blocks) give an incredible, well structured building that we anticipate lasting much longer than a conventional building. The finished product is absolutely incredible — ICFs give us a solid building like no other.”
While the initial cost of construction with ICF was slightly higher than conventional construction the many advantages with this product more than made up for the difference. Wine requires a constant temperature to maintain its integrity. The ability of the owner to control the temperature and humidity levels in the building made Amvic ICFs the ideal choice. The ICF concrete construction provides superior insulation which, coupled with the winery’s infloor heating and an energy efficient electric boiler, saves 30 – 50% on heating and cooling costs. The initial costs are recovered within a couple of years and your wines are kept snug and warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
The ICF winery offers other advantages too; “As a result of the ICF method, the building is very quiet and has a feeling of solidity and toughness. The appearance of the building is fabulous — it looks very solid and very chunky. Disadvantages? I cannot see any as yet!” Said Pete Luckett. When asked if he would recommend this method to other wineries he responded with a resounding “Yes! Absolutely!”
The Lucketts have been nursing some very fine wines through the winter months. These include L’Acadie Blanc — Nova Scotia’s signature wine, Ortega — an aromatic white, and Phone Box Red which is a lusty, lively robust red. If you would like to see this revolution in wine production, join them for their grand opening on July 1, 2011 when you can have your cask and drink it too, knowing that you are enjoying the greenest of all the reds and whites.