NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO, Nov. 14, 2007 - Inniskillin Wines and StormFisher Biogas are pleased to announce a partnership to create renewable electricity from the winery's grape by-products.
Inniskillin's grape pomace, which is comprised of grape skin and seeds, will be used to generate clean, renewable electricity. About 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of by-products that were previously destined to a landfill will be given a new use as a fuel. As such, the methane gas that is produced by the decomposition of grape pomace will now be captured and used to generate power for homes in the Niagara region.
"This partnership is a win for residential power consumers, a win for Inniskillin, a win for StormFisher and a win for the environment," said Bruce Nicholson, senior winemaker at Inniskillin. The partnership demonstrates how sustainable business practices can benefit the environment and communities while improving the bottom line by giving new use to what was once a waste product.
Vincor Canada, Inniskillin's parent company is committed to sustainable business practices and was eager to play a role in renewable energy production. "We love working with partners such as Vincor Canada, that really understand socially and environmentally sound business practices mean profitable business practices," said Ryan Little, StormFisher's vice president of business development. Vincor Canada and StormFisher are exploring potential expansion of this arrangement to Vincor's other winemaking facilities on the Niagara Peninsula.
StormFisher produces renewable energy from food and beverage processing by-products when it is digested in industrial tanks and either used to generate electricity or processed as natural gas. Much of Europe's food and beverage processing by-products are used to generate biogas, and the process is rapidly gaining favour in North America.
About StormFisher Biogas
StormFisher Biogas is an Ontario-based biogas developer and operator developing biogas installations across North America.
StormFisher's biogas plants will produce electricity, natural gas and heat while reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, including highly polluting methane emissions. Biogas production facilities, called anaerobic digesters, accelerate the decomposition of organic matter to create a combination of methane and carbon dioxide. Digesters can produce energy using a wide range of feedstock materials, from used cooking oils to cow manure.
StormFisher's operations will reduce farm and food processor disposal costs, divert valuable organic materials from landfills, and help to combat climate change by reducing emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. For more information, visit www.stormfisher.com.
About Inniskillin Wines
Inniskillin Wines, established in 1975 by co-founders Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, is Canada's premier estate winery producing truly distinctive and elegant wines from premium grape varieties grown in Canada that rank among the world's finest. Inniskillin has vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Inniskillin has gained international recognition for its award winning Icewines, which, as the number one selling wine in duty free stores, can be found in over 40 countries around the world. Inniskillin is proud of the role it has played and continues to play as one of the rising stars in bringing recognition to Canada as part of the international success of Canadian wines. Inniskillin's parent company, Vincor Canada, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Brands, Inc., (NYSE: STZ, ASX: CBR). For more information about Inniskillin Wines, visit www.inniskillin.com.
CONTACTS
Inniskillin:
Bruce Nicholson-905-468-2187 ext. 306
Constellation Brands:
Mike Martin-585-218-3669
Angie Blackwell - 585-218-3842
StormFisher:
Ryan Little-416-850-6804 ext. 203