(Wines&Vines) -  The first wine cave constructed in Temecula Wine Country using tunneling methods more commonly used at Northern California wineries is expected to be ready for use in August. Oak Mountain Winery will use its new cave to increase barrel-aging capacity and expand hospitality space.

Condor Earth Technologies Inc. of Sonora, Calif., performed the project feasibility study and provided engineering and design services. Condor’s tunnel-design specialist Scott Lewis provided the initial design work, and Condor’s senior geotechnical engineer Ron Skaggs acted as field supervisor for the project. Magorian Mine Services of Auburn, Calif., did the tunneling and construction work. Condor and Magorian have extensive experience creating caves for Northern California wineries. In addition, local engineering geologist Kerry Cato provided consultation based on experience with Temecula area geological conditions.

The geology of the Temecula area, abundant in sandstone soils, is generally less suited to cave construction than other California wine regions and presented design and construction challenges. Although some underground wine-storage facilities have been built using “cut and cover” construction and design, Oak Mountain is the first in the area constructed with tunneling tools. A roadheader cutting head was used for incremental excavation, while a rebar and wire reinforcement system was placed ahead of the excavation to support the softer ground conditions. The tunnel walls are lined with a thicker layer of shotcrete than is used in most wine caves, providing greater support and insulation.

The cave has more than 500 linear feet of tunnel, and the main tunnels are 14 feet high and 20 feet wide. The cave is 65 feet below the ground surface near the two portal areas and ranges up to 104 feet below ground near the deeper tunnel areas. The 10,000-square-foot, multi-purpose cave took longer than expected to complete, but it is expected to provide significant benefits as envisioned by Oak Mountain’s owners, the husband and wife team of Stephen and Valerie Andrews.