In the heart of France’s Burgundy region lies a storied wine cooperative – Cave de Lugny.  

Established in 1927 as a société coopérative agricole, the site has since merged with other neighbouring facilities, growing from 116 members to over 400 today. Its roots can be traced to renowned vineyards, such as Saint Pierre, Les Crêts, and La Grande Vigne. As such, its product is widely revered both within the famous winemaking region and beyond. 

As with any winemaker, Cave de Lugny relies on consistent, reliable chillers throughout the harvest season. These assets are essential for maintaining precise temperatures as grapes turn into alcohol, with whites ideally sitting between 65-68°F and reds at 77°F for the entire fermentation period.  

Removing the heat from fermentation creates intense workloads with sudden cooling demand, making system failure particularly risky. Were Cave de Lugny’s chillers to fail, an entire batch could be spoiled, with significant knock-on effects for the cooperative’s reputation and bottom line. 

It’s at this point where Aggreko has made a real impact on production in recent years. Since 2024, the company has been working closely with Cave de Lugny, providing a bespoke chiller solution to support its crucial harvest phase.  

As our guests in this episode explain, the success of the first project laid the groundwork for further improvements in year two, with Aggreko recently delivering a powerful hybridised chiller set-up combining Stage V generation and the latest battery technology.  

The results, as we’ll hear, have been significant, allowing the site to cut its fuel consumption and emissions at the same time. Most important of all, this work has created a blueprint for other facilities to follow, giving France’s most famous industry a viable route to sustainable production.  

Learn more: https://www.aggreko.com/en-gb/about-us/the-current?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=episodefour&utm_campaign=Thecurrent&utm_term=episodefour