The new Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is nearing completion after two years of construction. Funded entirely by donations, $21.5 of the $22M fundraising goal has already been achieved. Construction on the multi-building project began in March 2019 and is scheduled for completion at the end of July.
The 15,600 square foot winery is a bonded 5,000 case production, research and teaching facility which includes a fermentation hall, barrel rooms, research fermenters room, bottling room, production sample lab, a research lab, and an executive conference room with custom wine display and refrigeration cabinets. This state-of-the-art facility also includes a wastewater treatment plant, a Membrane BioReactor (MBR) system for cleaning the winery process water.
The 12,000 square foot E. & J. Gallo Winery & Family Building includes viticulture, enology and sensory analysis labs, student and faculty office space, and the Swanson Center of Effort Conference Hall which will provide a large space for academia, industry, and community events. A catering kitchen is also provided in the building to support events.
The Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture major is designed to prepare students for careers in the complex 21st century wine business environment. It is the largest international program and only domestic program that teaches undergraduate viticulture, enology, and wine business. The project construction has remained on schedule despite the Covid-19 pandemic – a true testament to the team.
