When prominent wine producer Cave de Lugny needed additional cooling capacity during harvest season, Aggreko was chosen to provide an efficient and sustainable solution to preserve the quality of the wines while stored in the cellar. With the increased demand and prominence of heatwaves and droughts in Burgundy, France, putting this system in place came with a sense of urgency and need for collaboration to reliably deliver a premium product by harvest’s end.
Cave de Lugny, a renowned French wine co-operative, is situated in the Mâconnais countryside, South of Burgundy. The region is known for its picturesque rolling hills, historical heritage and, of course, high-quality wines. The cooperative consists of over 400 wine growers, with its three wineries producing specialist Southern Burgundy wines that have been enjoyed internationally for over four decades. Cave de Lugny’s long-standing prestige has meant that customers know what to expect with each bottle.
With harvest underway, demand for temperature‑controlled storage rises as producers work to protect both volume and quality. At the same time, climate change and the increased weather volatility it brings have made consistent outcomes harder to guarantee. Prolonged heatwaves and drought conditions across France and much of Europe mean that maintaining the stable conditions wines require throughout production and storage cannot be left to chance.
Throughout harvest season, thermoregulation is crucial to preserving the aromas, flavours, and textures of a wine while stored in a cellar. As a result, wineries such as Cave de Lugny are turning to supplementary cooling as an essential measure, ensuring grapes and wines are protected at every stage of production. Cooling during peak harvest season, however, can quickly become expensive and energy intensive, causing bills to soar and creating a stumbling block to sustainability targets. Unsurprisingly, solutions that can be both efficient and carbon-cutting, are being sought after more than ever.
Frédéric Gabry, Technical Manager at Cave de Lugny said: “During the grape harvest, controlling temperatures throughout fermentation is critical to wine quality, and maintaining stable cellar conditions is essential. During the 2024 harvest season, Aggreko supported us with a temporary cooling unit, powered by a hybrid battery system. This solution enabled us to significantly reduce fuel consumption and emissions, while delivering a quiet and reliable performance that aligned closely with our sustainability objectives.”
Building on the success of that deployment, the aim for this second collaboration was to replicate the solution across three sites during the 2025 harvest.
A perfect partnership: The battery hybrid solution
This project involved three sites, more than 2.5 MW of cooling, 12 chillers, seven Stage V power generators, and three battery energy storage systems (BESS). Hybrid systems were deployed on all three sites to power the chillers, with the implementation of the battery a major step forward. Aggreko’s Stage V generators are designed to limit carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, providing low-carbon temporary power. Combined with Stage V generators, the batteries also significantly reduced fuel consumption and NOx emissions.
Throughout peak harvest season, the hybrid solution ensured an efficient and reliable cooling of the client’s cellar. With the addition of real-time monitoring via Aggreko Connect, the Cave de Lugny team could monitor performance optimisation and track fuel savings throughout the project. The quiet operation of the battery was an additional advantage, reducing noise pollution.
On this solution, Frédéric said: “The thermoregulation of our cellar is critical to preserving the unique characteristics of our wines. The reproduced solution allowed us to step closer to our sustainability goals, without jeopardising our process or production. We look forward to tracking our fuel and cost reductions following this harvest season and to keep prioritising sustainability and efficiency within our vineyard.”
The project was estimated to deliver a 20% reduction in fuel consumption, in line with Cave de Lugny’s sustainability goals and ambitions, without compromise. This solution is part of Aggreko’s initiative to support the sector’s shift to optimised cooling, reduced fuel consumption and sustainable temperature control solutions.
Théophile Habermacher, Sector Account Manager at Aggreko, said: “It’s been an honour to work with Cave de Lugny again, and our previous experience with the team meant we could move quickly and accurately. After the demonstrable success of our hybrid solutions in 2024, we wanted to move forward with something bigger the second time around. Across Europe, we have seen extreme temperatures and weather volatility. When it comes to wine, both its production and storage, temperature control is more important than ever.
“This, coupled with the urgency across the agri-food sector to become greener and Cave de Lugny’s own sustainability targets, meant that our hybrid battery system was the best solution. It offers reliability while cutting carbon emissions, the two major priorities for this project. This installation goes to show what hybrid power generation coupled with temporary cooling can do when implemented through expertise and close collaboration.”
