This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
had their hands full. T ey didn’t have time to mess with my grapes.” T ere Hayes stood with the biggest patch of grapes in the


state—at least that’s what the agricultural department told him— and he was at a loss to fi nd a buyer for the bulk of his crop. He was only able to sell fruit here and there in small amounts to other wineries. He even sold fresh fruit at farmers markets and in roadside stands. T e remainder rotted in the fi eld. T e grape business was already turning sour for Hayes. T e


only way to save his investment was to start making wine him- self. “We didn’t plan on building a winery,” Hayes said. “I wound


up in this business to save my fruit. I had to preserve it in wine.” When life hands you grapes, you make wine. And so that is


what Mack Hayes did. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work building a winery. T e resourceful Hayes was able to keep overhead low by


re-purposing dairy equipment. You’ll never see equipment like this at any other winery. But, to the untrained eye, the thou- sand-gallon stainless steel “zero” milk tanks look right at home. “Most everything here is milk plant equipment,” said Hayes.


“We use a 1,000-gallon pasteurizing tank from a milk plant, and these old zeroes are just leaker tanks that wouldn’t hold a charge of freon. T ey wouldn’t cool. We put cooling jackets in them and converted them into wine tanks. We keep our indebtedness down by using a hundred-dollar tank instead of a ten-thousand dollar tank. Sure, there are some specialized items required for the op-


eration. T e crusher, for instance, is Italian-made. Hayes also had to purchase a fi lter and a set of pumps. But most everything else is just a product of Hayes’ ingenuity—like the cheese-press- turned-grape-press. Even a forkliſt described by Hayes as an “antique” has found new life at the winery. “It still runs and does its job,” Hayes laughed. “It ain’t better


than a new one, but it’s better than spending money on a new one.” T ose fi rst harvests were handled by a mechanical picker designed for blueberries. Hayes found the pre-owned machine on the cheap and had it trucked in from North Carolina. Insulated semi-trailers—or “reefers,” as they are otherwise


known in the trucking industry—provide an ideal solution for the storage of bottled product awaiting distribution. Add a cus- tom air-conditioning unit and the Chemline reefers are perfect for the winery’s cold storage needs. “T ey are the cheapest building you can have if you need


refrigeration,” said Hayes. “You can’t build ‘em any better.” Said Hayes with a smile: “We crushed over 6,000 cars right


here at one time. I’ve done a little of everything in my lifetime. I used to be in the junkyard business. Now this place is a damn winery.” T e farm still operates a full-time dairy. Twice a day, forty


Packaging wine for shipment


Wine storage inside the winery


head of either Jersey and Guernsey-cross cows are milked. ➤


Cheryl Matlock, Mack Hayes, and Ausline Palmer stand with the Italian-made grape chrusher


July 2013 - 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148