Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1044116
86 WINES&VINES November 2018 WINEMAKING PRACTICAL WINERY & VINEYARD year, including 10 grape varieties from more than 50 vineyards), you really need to make sure that they are protected and are going to end up the way that you want," Berglund says. "In general, if you are using it as a tool to give you information that is affecting your winemaking decisions, then you want to know that it is actually right. Otherwise, it is not helping you." "A lot of winemaking decisions are based on the results that we provide at Bin to Bottle," Burdett says. "Being able to provide accurate repeatability is of primary importance for us. Being able to deliver reliable results not just to our winemakers but to Bin to Bottle clients allows them to make those decisions for the work to get done." Accuracy, repeatability, efficiency and time savings "Harvest at Penner-Ash is full-on," Wheeler says. "We source from approximately 20 vine- yards for about 350 tons using mostly small fermenters. The majority of our lots are fer- mented in MacroBins, 2- and 3-ton tanks. You do not have any time to spare to wait for numbers to come in or to have a number come in that is not accurate. "It is really important to get it right the first time, quickly, so you can move forward with your process. The Y15 gives me a chance to easily multitask and work on Penner-Ash data entry, analysis and the day's logistics all while it is running. It has been really nice because I am not tied down to the lab bench all day and can get into the cellar for a change of scenery to help our crew when needed." "Automated enzymatic, colorimetric analy- sis is a great method to obtain fast, accurate results," Burdett says. "With Bin to Bottle being a client-based winery (2,500 tons in 2017) serving a variety of needs, being able to report accurate results in a timely fashion is critical. I have worked with (manual spec- trophotometers), having to do everything by hand. That is very time-consuming. In this fast-paced lab, with the number of samples that we process, it is just not feasible. Upon completion of our expansion, we plan to fer- ment approximately 4,500-5,000 tons per year. We will be able to accommodate this growth in part due to the versatility and ca- pacity of the Y15." "Since you are relying on an automated system, you decrease the human error as- pect," notes Prost of A to Z. "You still need to run maintenance on your equipment, but you decrease the risk of having a number that is not correct (due to human error) and save the time it would take to run the test again manually. We found that with the amount of lots that we have, it was a ques- tion of how much can you get done in a day? In our winery lab, as an example, we can load up the Y15 with 72 samples, it can be running the numbers, and we still run man- ual titrations and run pH manually, so we can have two things going at once." "The main advantage we found at Testa- rossa has been throughput, especially when we thought about scalability for a growing winery," Snyder notes. "Being able to have the same method of analysis, be able to expand the number and frequency of analysis we have been able to do without a huge head count increase has been huge." Cost savings "For Penner-Ash, it was pretty easily justifi- able because I was running so many numbers, it really helped pay for itself upfront. It has allowed me to do more with my time during the day, to either run more samples more ef- ficiently or get my analysis done faster," Wheeler adds. "At A to Z, we thought that enzymatic tests were the most cost-effective, accurate way to get in-house numbers," Berglund says. "When we wanted to be able to really trust the num- ber, we would go to enzymatic kits." "The cost of labor at Testarossa pretty quickly becomes the limiting factor when pro- ducing 30,000 cases per year," Snyder adds. Flexibility and sustainability "The Y15 enzymatic analyzer is definitely my favorite piece of equipment in the Penner-Ash lab because it has allowed me to expand my horizon at the winery and get involved in other aspects of winemaking that I was not able to before," Wheeler notes. "It is like having an- other person on the team because I have more time. There are many kits available. We have expanded usage of the Y15 because it is so easy. We have added potassium to our in-house juice panel analysis to regularly monitor acetic acids, too. I enjoy being able to track informa- tion beyond the basics." "The 72-sample capacity of the Y15 was appealing. The number of tests that it can run gives A to Z a lot of flexibility," Prost says. "If we want to research more, we know there are options for different kits so we can expand. It has allowed A to Z to get to more, whether that is tasting or analyzing the data. Being able to react to the information that you have, you have that extra time when you have basically an automated lab tech in it- self. We use the Y15 from when the grapes arrive right up until bottling; also for QC checks post-bottling." "The different types of analysis that the Y15 can offer is really beneficial to Bin to Bottle, especially as a client-based winery," Burdett explains. "It allows us to offer a wide array of analysis to our clients. The Y15 is a crucial piece of equipment in our lab. We use it to analyze every lot of juice/wine that comes through the winery, both during har- vest and non-harvest times of the year. During harvest, we use it to analyze juice samples from the grapes that are being processed. Once those grapes are processed we use the Y15 to help us monitor fermentations. The Y15 is part of the winery lab procedure liter- ally from 'bin' to 'bottle.' Currently, we utilize four parameters with the Y15 all year. During harvest, we expand that to seven parameters. Being a custom-crush facility, it is important to have the versatility to offer our clients a wide variety of analysis. The 27 parameters offered by Admeo for the Y15 gives us the ability to do that." "We use the Y15 throughout the year at Penner-Ash," Wheeler says. "It gets most of its use during harvest because that is when we are running juice panels on everything as it comes in. We run drain and press analysis when ferments are pressed off. In the offsea- son we run malics on it and check free sulfurs regularly. It still gets fired up and we still run it. It is just as important that time of year as it is during harvest." "At Testarossa, we use the automated ana- lyzer literally from grape to bottle," Snyder notes. "We have used it for analyzing baseline acetic acid on fruit lots that came in that we thought had been compromised. We obtain baseline malic acid data to verify malic acid throughout the life of a wine. Pre-bottling, we use it to obtain final specs for the wine in terms of residual sugar and malic acid completion." Support "Product support is a crucial factor when considering the purchase of a new piece of lab equipment and equally as crucial when maintaining the performance of lab equip- ment," Burdett says, "such as Admeo's auto- matic analyzer. Admeo has proven itself as having one of the more reliable product sup- port services for its clients. They have accom- plished this through their expertise of their products and their promptness when respond- ing to customers. They have always been available via email, phone and TeamViewer to help me troubleshoot a problem. If a prob- lem can't be resolved immediately, the Admeo team has come to Bin to Bottle in person to help us find a solution. "The Admeo team has come to our lab to do everything from deliver parts and re- It is really important to get it right the first time, quickly, so you can move on with your process.