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WINEMAKING Winemaker Interview Celia Welch Noted winemaker says good winery design makes for better wine By Laurie Daniel C elia Welch's parents weren't in the wine business, but she grew up around wine nevertheless. She was raised in Medford, Ore., where her father was a home winemaker who tended a half-acre vineyard, so Welch was able to learn the basics of winemaking and viticulture at an early age. When she decided to make a career of it, she attended the University of California, Davis, graduating in 1982 with a degree in fermentation science. After working a series of short-term jobs (mostly in California's Napa Valley) and serving as lab director for Silverado Vineyards, Welch was hired in 1991 by Garen and Shari Staglin as winemaker for Staglin Family Vineyards. Welch also started a small consulting business the same year. A Cabernet Sauvignon specialist, her current clients include Scarecrow, Kelly Fleming, Barbour, Keever and Hollywood & Vine. She also has her own brand, Corra. Welch was named winemaker of the year by Food & Wine magazine in 2008 and was nominated for a James Beard Award the following year. She is a professional member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and a past co-chair of the Napa Valley Wine Technical Group. Wines & Vines: You've helped two clients, Kelly Fleming and Staglin Family, design wineries in caves. What are the benefits and drawbacks of building caves? Celia Welch: I think that, from a land-use standpoint, caves are a very good option. They usually offer great storage conditions with a minimal impact on the surrounding land. They're not perfect, in that they are slightly more difficult to keep clean than a well-constructed building, more difficult to move barrels around in and somewhat more difficult in terms of lighting. (When was the last time you felt a cave was overly bright?) Air circulation is a concern, and if not considered carefully you can end up with pockets of mildew on your barrels or temperature gradients throughout the cave. At least in Napa they tend to be just a bit warmer than ideal, so you need to consider a chiller of some sort. But again, because they are so well insulated, it's relatively easy to keep the temperatures constant. Carbon dioxide evacuation can be a concern if the cave is being used for primary fermentation. Consider storing fermenting wines near the cave entrance and making sure circulation is adequate in that area. But all in all, they make a lot of sense. They don't work for flat parcels, but if a hillside is available, it might mean better wine storage and minimal disruption of vineyard operations. I like using caves as much as possible, so that more of our prime agricultural land is used for vineyards. 42 W in es & V i ne s J U NE 2 0 13 In addition to producing her own label, Corra, Celia Welch makes wine for Scarecrow, Kelly Fleming, Barbour, Keever and other wineries. At Kelly Fleming Winery in Calistoga, Calif., the cave provides wonderful storage for Cabernet barrels, and we have added both humidity and refrigeration so the temperature is great for Sauvignon Blanc barrel fermentation as well. Kelly's cave was created by blasting some very solid rock, so she was able to keep the cave walls unlined, and the solid rock surface is beautiful. It is a highlight of the visitor's tour experience, in addition to being a great place to store barrels. W&V: For aboveground wineries, are there building materials that you prefer? Welch: In my opinion, the building material is less important than the overall design of the facility. I've seen corrugated metal buildings that look great and, with enough insulation, function well also. I tend to be leery about wood used near fermentation or barrel-storage areas, but if it is sealed well and tested periodically for TCA, I know it can work. Kelly Fleming has a