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32 WINES&VINES August 2015 WINEMAKING in-house for aging and finishing. Burgundian varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir require knowledge proprietary to Hahn's wine- making team, so those are made 100% onsite. Baldini pointed out that regional capabilities often dictate outsourcing possibilities. In this case, Hahn has a custom-crush facility nearby that meets their needs. In other regions, that option may not be available. In the vineyard, Baldini explained that they now use a dedicated vineyard management company—a change from when they staffed it themselves. Doing this allows Hahn to draw on the management company's extensive expertise and specialists. All of Hahn's 20 former vineyard workers were retained by the management com- pany, so local knowledge was retained, and the employees now have more upward mobility in their positions. The result was better overall grape quality, savings that were used to hire more cellar workers and a bit more for the mar- keting budget—a win for everyone. Tin Barn Vineyards: only so many hours in a day Amy Bess Cook, director of operations at Tin Barn Vineyards in Sonoma, Calif., believes their core competency is an ability to produce small- lot, superior quality, Sonoma County vineyard- designated wines at reasonable prices. They produce 3,500 cases per year under the Tin Barn label. Managing partner and winemaker Michael Lancaster has been in the industry for more than 20 years. He still does cellar work and personally walks all the vine rows; that level of attention shows in his wines. Yet Tin Barn is very happy to outsource non-core tasks. The winery places high value on having its own crush pad and labor, but it outsources filtration, bottling and most lab work. Cook noted that they could buy a filter or hire a lab manager, but it would take time and resources away from other winemaking activities that are more critical to their success. There are only so many hours in a day. Cook stated that in the wine business, "You have to cope with uncertainty. To be comfortable and embrace that is key to what we do at Tin Barn." So Tin Barn further leverages Lancaster's winemaking core competency through custom crush, producing roughly 12,000 cases for cli- ents who know Lancaster will take great care with their wines. Cook added, "Our clients say it's a wonderful place and space to make wine." Loma Prieta Winery: outsourcing sparkling As proprietor of Loma Prieta Winery, the small- est winery interviewed for this story, Amy Kemp feels her core advantage is the winery's location on a mountaintop in Santa Cruz, Calif., with a tasting room at 2,400 feet elevation. "People just want to be here," she stated. Add wonder- ful wine, wonderful staff and a place for a picnic, and you end up with a 2,000-case op- eration that sells nearly all wine direct to con- sumer via the winery or wine club program. While she makes several wines, Kemp fur- ther differentiates Loma Prieta by focusing on the South African Pinotage grape, including a sparkling Pinotage. Decent sparkling wine equipment can cost $300,000. That plus space requirements make it prohibitive to produce onsite, so she has the wines made at Rack and Riddle, a custom winemaking and sparkling wine specialist with two locations in Sonoma County, Calif. Loma Prieta provides the grapes and specs, so the wines bear her imprint. Kemp notes that outsourcing "makes the difference between being able to offer sparkling and sim- ply not being able to offer sparkling wine." She adds that utilizing custom-crush facilities means she won't get stuck with a "sparkling wine production learning curve" either. Kemp has recently brought routine lab work in-house, as she often needs an immediate answer, so even a one- to two-day turnaround is too long to wait. Due to space and refrigera- tion constraints, white wines are also made at custom-crush facilities. Corporate Office | Jackson, Wyoming 1.800.875.1558 www.barrelsunlimited.com | West Coast Cooperage Fresno, California They say a fine wine only gets better with age – and at Barrels Unlimited we make sure of it. Whether it's making a good wine great or a great wine legendary, our air-dried American oak casks and barrels infuse complexity and character into every batch. Available in 5,10, 15, 20, 30, 59, 70, and 80 gallon sizes. "Actually, I've aged quite a bit… on the inside." "Wow, you're exactly the same as I remember you!"