
430 – Small Winemaker, Big Wines, Zero Power Bills
Episode 430 takes you to Greenock in the Barossa, where small winemaker Joe Evans explains how solar panels and two Nissan Leaf EVs not only erased his power costs but made him what he believes is the world’s first winery to ferment, store and mature wine using car battery power at night, with Steve rounding out the episode with an original song reflecting on the state of the world. Joe Evans was last on the show in 2018, picking grapes and talking about his craft. A lot has changed at Ballycroft Vineyard & Cellars since then. Joe has turned a $6,000-a-year electricity bill into a source of profit, using 33 kilowatts of solar, a bidirectional V2G converter, and two Nissan Leafs to run his house, his winery, and his cellar door without drawing from the grid. He believes Ballycroft is the world’s first winery to make and mature wine entirely