Expect to be charged extra for time-consuming processes, such as hand-sorting berries post-destemmer.

Custom Crushing, defined as paying a bonded winery other than your own (if you even own one at all) to process grapes into wine, is something that almost everyone seems to be doing these days. At a recent barbecue in Napa I realized that most of the winemakers present, who were representing 20-barrel start-up brands to well established large wineries, made at least some, if not all, of their gallons within the custom crush environment.

The high cost of building new wineries, the desire to try out new varietal programs before committing, the rise of the virtual brand and the number of growers getting into the gallon game have all contributed to this pay-for-play revolution. However, creating great wines in a custom crush environment can be a little bit more challenging than creating them in your own winery. Understanding the unique demands, costs and possible pitfalls of the custom processing environment is the key to pulling off a successful harvest crushing on someone else's pad.

The Many Faces of Custom Crush

Custom crushing, or custom processing, means many different things, from simple juicing to complete "grape-to-grave" service packages, where the facility in question crushes, ferments, masters and then bottles your wine. The type and number of winemaking services you need will dictate what kind of winery can accommodate you.

Custom crush wineries come in all shapes and sizes. There are large, custom-only facilities in most of California's major winemaking regions. Napa Wine Company (Oakville), Sonoma Wine Company (Graton), Monterey Wine Company (King City) and Central Coast Wine Services (Paso Robles and Santa Maria) are all examples of wineries that almost exclusively process other people's fruit.

There are also traditional branded wineries that, in addition to making their own wines, allow a certain amount of custom clients into their cellars. Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles and Laird Family Estate in Napa are both experienced in processing, storing and bottling for others.

Yet another custom processing option, one that aims to give the winemaker a greater level of hands-on control, is the "alternating proprietorship," or shared premise arrangement. While sharing space and equipment with an established winery, a grower, a group of friends or a small brand can literally rent the privilege of making their own wine in someone else's facility. Even though the arrangement may be legally different (alternating wineries have to keep scrupulous records of which winery bond uses the equipment and when) and encourages autonomy, many "guest" wineries end up using the host's staff and services a significant part of the time, making the arrangement closer to a custom crush contract.

Identify Your Needs

Whatever arrangement you're contemplating, you're at an impasse unless you can identify the kind of processing you'll need. Take a look at who you are as a potential wine producer. Are you a grower with a wholesale license looking to simply get 500 tons of excess Chardonnay into the bulk market or are you a 500-case winemaker looking for a high-end home for your new cult brand? Due to the differences in size, hands-on approach and quality goals, it's not likely that such disparate producers would find a happy home at the same facility.

Sketch out the rough amount of tons and what varieties of grapes you'll be harvesting. Think about how your grapes will be delivered (on flatbeds with 10-ton hoist bins, in 1/2 ton Macrobins® or in 20-lb lug boxes?). Just getting this down will really narrow your choice of facilities. Many wineries don't have crush equipment big enough to accept anything larger than a half-ton forklift bin, and some of the bigger plants won't accept anything smaller than a flatbed lined with two-ton valley bins. Be sure to factor in the distance from the facility to your grapes; it's better for both wine quality and fuel costs to crush as close to your vineyards as possible.

Once you estimate the number of tons of each varietal to be delivered, factor in the number and types of "programs" you'll be making from those varieties. Let's say that you make a traditional Syrah as well as a pink Syrah saignée from those grapes. These are two wines that will have to be treated very differently in the cellar even though they come from the same ton. A robust red needs heat, maceration and long-term aging whereas a delicate rosé needs cool temperatures, heat and cold stabilization, and filtration before it's ready to go to bottle. Be sure the facilities you're looking at can handle the different types of winemaking tasks you'd like to accomplish.

Lastly, think about where the wine will be going. Established wineries that farm out some of their workhorse wine will probably bring those gallons back into the home winery for final blending and bottling. Smaller, stand-alone brands, however, may be looking to take their fruit from grape to bottle to warehouse all at the same facility. Most custom crush wineries either want you to get your gallons out by the next crush; otherwise, they will charge you steep fees (sometimes $0.20/gallon/month or more) for the privilege of housing your wine over harvest. Some of the smaller custom facilities will allow long-term barrel aging. Having an exit strategy for your wine is as important as figuring out how to get it there in the first place.

Having access to samples is critical. Make sure you can get to your wines whenever you need them.

Shop Around

Once you're ready to seriously shop around for a custom crush winery, it's wise to first put the call in to your professional network and ask for recommendations. Talk to others who are doing the kind of projects you're planning and ask about their experiences at certain facilities. If you're making wine to put on the bulk market, talk to your friends and associates who are bulk wine buyers and ask if there are certain custom crush wineries they try to avoid when requesting samples, and if there are there certain facilities that always seem to send out high-quality wines.

The established brokers who sell grapes and wine in bulk can also help companies set up custom crush agreements. These brokers have experience with many different wineries and can provide expert advice, based on many years of experience. Getting opinions from others, including from bulk wine trucking companies and other suppliers, is also a smart strategy.

Once you've located a facility or two that you think might fit the bill, be sure to get a personal tour. This is your chance to really scrutinize the possible future home of your wine. Does the cellar look organized and well run? Does the equipment match the size and type of wines you want to make? If you're going to be sharing space as an alternating proprietorship, where will you be able to store your barrels, and is that area clean and humidified? More importantly, how does it smell? If possible (and if not too obvious), try to get a look at often-neglected areas like catwalks and tank tops, as well as the areas behind and underneath tanks. Though a winery's work area doesn't have to look pretty, it should at least be neat, smell clean and appear functional. If you see any glaring problems, take your business elsewhere.

Custom Crush Facilities 

August Cellars Newberg, OR 503-554-6766 www.augustcellars.com
Castoro Winery San Miguel, CA 805-467-2002 www.castorocellars.com
Central Coast Wine Services Santa Maria, CA 805-928-9210 www.centralcoastwineservices.com
Courtside Cellars San Miguel, CA 805-782-0300 www.courtsidecellars.com
Golden State Vintners Soledad, CA 707-254-4900 na
Laird Family Estate Napa, CA 877-297-4902 www.lairdfamilyestate.com
Lange Twins Woodbridge, CA 209-339-4055 www.langetwins.com
McManis Faily Vineyards Ripon, CA 209-599-1186 www.mcmanisfamilyvineyards.com
Milano Winery Hopland, CA 707-744-1396 www.milanowinery.com
Monterey Wine Company King City, CA 831-386-1100 www.montereywinecompany.com
Napa Wine Company Oakville, CA 800-848-9630 www.napawineco.com
Paso Robles Wine Services Paso Robles, CA 805-226-7458 www.pasorobleswineservices.com
Premium Wine Group Mattituck, NY 631-298-1900 www.customcrush.com
Sonoma Wine Company Graton, CA 707-829-6104 www.sonoma-wineco.com
Scheid Vineyards Greenfield, CA 707-688-3628 www.scheidvineyards.com
Wente Livermore, CA 925-456-2300 www.wentevineyards.com

Winemaker, Know Thyself

Knowing or at least having an idea of what you're getting yourself into before the grapes start flying is critical; sometimes a little soul-searching will help you better anticipate potential challenges you may face. Can you handle leaving your precious clusters in hands trained and supervised by winemakers other than yourself? Are you willing to make wine remotely, perhaps juggling your home-base cellar in addition to keeping track of distant off-site gallons? Are you prepared to be available by phone, fax and email 24-7 so you can answer any questions the custom winemaking staff might have?

Make sure you're up to the task of giving the custom facility enough instruction up front to allow them to get the job done their way while allowing yourself to step back with confidence. You'll be scheduling grapes, making acid add calls at 7 a.m. and letting the winemaker know it's okay to switch out one of their neutral house barrels for one of yours that leaked as long as they ozone it well first. If you know you are a control freak or tend toward being very laid back, be sure to check your head (and your ego) before jumping into the custom crush fray.

Winemaking Begins With People

Don Blackburn, one of California's best crafters of Pinot Noir, used to have a sign posted on his office door that read, "Winemaking Begins With People." His point was that no matter how expensive the barrel, talented the winemaker or mind-bogglingly stellar the fruit, all could be ruined by one too short tank wash cycle or one lab tech who didn't bother to re-check that weird VA (volatile acidity). He also meant that great wines are a team effort, made great by many small acts, expertly done. Only people can do that.

Apply that frame of mind to the custom crush situation and you'll start to appreciate how true that is, especially when you trust someone else's crew to nurture your wine. Treat your hosts appreciatively. Buy pizza for the crew when they've pulled an all-nighter on your press loads, offer to bring the weighmaster a fresh cup of coffee, respond to that last email, even if it is almost midnight. Be sincere about it. These are the people with their hands on your gallons; and even though you're paying them to provide a service, it's to your benefit, as well as your wine's, to make sure the channels of communication stay open in a positive way.

On a logistical level, as you begin to investigate custom processing facilities, ask who your main contacts will be. Get to know that person or those people. Ask what level of involvement is expected and how you can work with them to give them the information they need, as well as to get the inventory reports, lab analysis and samples you need. How well you can communicate is directly correlated to the level of customer service both you and your wines will receive.

Define Your Protocols

Aside from the personal interaction you'll have with the winery staff and crew, perhaps the single most critical means of communicating is through your written winemaking protocols. All custom crush contracts I've seen require the client, whether a grower, winery or independent, to provide at least a general outline of what they want done and when. Protocols can be as simple as, "Please deliver 10,000 gallons of Sauvignon Blanc under 0.3 percent residual sugar and less than 14 percent alcohol," or as painstakingly complex as a recipe from the French Laundry. Be sure the facility you choose is up to the task of making your wine your way.

No one likes to write a "recipe" for their wine but be prepared to get as detailed as you can. Though most custom crush protocols can (and often will) be revised as harvest goes on, at least writing down "Do not adjust pH below 3.65" allows the host winery to keep working if you can't be reached and keeps your wine firmly in the direction you want it to go. It helps to get especially detailed with treatments, like barrel work, lees stirring, rack and returns or using special equipment. If you want to be contacted in person for every acid addition, get it down in writing. Persnickety details like these might get lost in the heat of harvest unless they're emphasized up front.

Proceed With Caution

Before signing any custom processing contracts, it's imperative to pencil out your costs. Every facility charges their clients in a slightly different way, so it's almost impossible to directly compare one contract to another. One winery will charge barrel work by the gallon moved whereas another will charge an hourly fee for the labor. To really look at apples to apples, it's imperative to calculate what it'll take to make a gallon of wine according to your protocol, across different facilities. Only then will you truly be able to tell which winery provides good value and which will nickel and dime away your margins.

Look (and strategize) before you leap into bottling at a custom crush facility. Bottling with a mobile bottling truck or on another winery's line takes a lot of organization and planning, so it's important to allow yourself at least six months' lead time. Lining up the time with a mobile bottler, arranging for delivery of your supplies and filing your DBA (Doing Business As) notice with the proper authorities can all take a long time. The label approval process is especially unpredictable as the bottling bonded winery has to file this on your behalf, and sometimes it can take months for the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) to get the paperwork back to you.

Watch your storage costs and their timelines. Every winery is different, and some will start charging you storage ($0.8/gallon/month is common) immediately after harvest while others will allow you free storage until later in the spring. If you can, strategize to get your wine out of the most expensive facilities first and be sure to factor storage fees into your costing calculations. Definitely be sure to get your wine out before the next harvest when most wineries will really start jacking up the storage fees.

Beware of using wineries that have never done any kind of processing for clients before, even if your buddy is the winemaker (perhaps especially if your buddy is the winemaker). It takes a team that's really on task, from the GM to the winemaker to the lab staff, to provide good and thorough custom crush services. It's no fun for the client or the provider to fumble through a half-baked first harvest, especially when egos and friendships get in the way and thousands of dollars' worth of wine are on the line. Similarly, be a little cautious when using conspicuous brand name or prestige facilities. Wineries that have their own brands at stake have been known to put client wines last on the priority list.

Custom crushing part or all of your winery's fruit can be exactly the production solution you're looking for, and there are more and more facilities willing and able to meet that demand. From the biggest mainstream wineries to the smallest one-woman start-ups, more and more winemakers are turning to custom processing to get their foot in the door and get a leg up. Though there are some concerns that first-time custom clients (and even old hands) should be aware of, there's no question that a well-run professional facility, guided by a good client winemaker, can and will produce exceptional wines. wbm