It may look like every other lush green vineyard in Niagara.

But Tawse Winery is greener than most, if not in colour then certainly in philosophy.

The Vineland estate, which opened in 2005, has implemented some innovative planet-saving measures in its growing and winemaking practices.

Sheep, for one thing.

Tawse has taken a page from nearby Featherstone Estate Winery and imported a "test" flock of 11 lambs to assist with leaf-pulling, an important step in producing good grapes.

For another, the pond in front of the Cherry Avenue facility is more than a lovely aesthetic feature.

Surrounded by wetland gardens and crowned with a towering fountain, it's filled with "grey water" that has previously been used to wash out tanks and barrels and even run the dishwasher. The water is reused for irrigation of the landscaped areas of the winery's 22 acres.

But it has an even more important role -- it is the foundation of Tawse's geothermal heating and cooling system.

At the very bottom of the pond, 26 feet down, the water temperature is always significantly warmer in winter and cooler in summer than at ground level. It acts as a "heat sink" where excess heat is dumped in summer and from which heat is drawn in during the winter.

There are 10,000 feet of black glycol-filled pipes at the pond bottom and about six heat pumps inside the building that heat and cool the building and the wine tanks as needed.

The system reduces the use of traditional energy sources by about 80 per cent.

The only energy required is electricity for the pumps, which costs about $17 a day, and for air conditioning in the store and tasting bar, where it would otherwise be too hot for the wines (and the tourists).

Energy costs are also reduced by having underground wine cellars. Tawse has no need for a fancy climate-control system in its cellars, where a consistent temperature is essential to proper aging.

Its three vaulted cellars are as much as 10 feet below ground level, which results in a year-round ambient temperature that never varies more than about 6 degrees Centigrade with a natural humidity level of about 85 per cent.