Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/172581
WINEMAKING The largest tanks in Margerum's cellar have capacities of 17,000 liters. Whites generally get filtered with a plate-and-frame filter; reds get filtered only when they don't get clear enough on their own. Margerum thinks it makes no sense for a small operation to own a bottling line, which just takes up space most of the year. He brings in a mobile line from Castoro a couple of times per year and packages the wines in TricorBraun or Demptos glass, finished with screwcaps for most of the whites and M.A. Silva corks for the reds. Ramondin capsules and Tapp labels round out the list of packaging suppliers. Although both of the Buellton spaces had previously been used one way or another for winemaking, neither has builtin wastewater-handling capacity. Water is pumped out of the winery and into an outdoors holding tank, which gets picked up and emptied periodically. Margerum says this is a definite incentive to keep the use of chemicals to a minimum. Cleaning is largely accomplished with percarbonate. One tiny design wrinkle the Margerum crew is proud of is a wall where hoses and tools of all kinds are hung, letting them all drain clean, rather than sit on the floor, coiled and full of whatever; gravity means less cleaning is needed. Moving product Doug Margerum's longtime connections in the wholesale and retail wine trade are undoubtedly one reason his wines receive California exposure through Chambers & Chambers, a high-end distributor. The label has arrangements with smaller distributors in several states, as well as Japan, and direct relationships with res- A top-of-the-line kitchen was among the top priorities when designing the new winery facility near Santa Barbara, Calif. taurants in some key cities. Website sales and a 500-member wine club account for about 10% of sales, and on-premise sales another 30%. There's no trace of grapevines outside the Margerum warehouse winery, but there is a new chicken coop and some chickens just off the parking lot. I asked if the idea was to produce estate-grown fining agents, but Margerum said no, the idea was fresh eggs in the kitchen for the staff lunches. They'll certainly have plenty of wine to choose from for pairing with those omelets. PIONEER INNOVATOR PARTNER Natural Corks Champagne Corks Twinline Corks Bartops VISION Synthetic Corks G-Cap® Screw Caps Sales Representatives: USA West Coast: Luciano Muselli +1 415 668 6134 luciano@gueltig.com USA East Coast: Christopher Stamp +1 607 535 9252 stamp@gueltig.com Canada: Frank Neufeld +1 905 938 2368 f.neufeld@sympatico.ca WI N ES & V I N E S O CTO B E R 2 0 1 3 51