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72 WINES&VINES January 2017 T he idea of "just-in-time" logistics has become rather widespread and is fairly common in the wine indus- try, especially with essentials such as new barrels and bottling supplies. Most, however, are lucky not to have to deal with in-the- nick-of-time logistics, as was the experience of Ronald Du Preez, general manager and winemaker of the new Sugarloaf Crush winery. As Du Preez gave Wines & Vines a tour of the winery, he recounted a stressful day in August 2016, during which cellar workers were filling the winery's largest press while workmen were rushing to connect the electricity on the winery's air compressor to power that press. Construction on the winery began in September 2015, shortly after Joe Reynoso and partners purchased the land, which already was permitted for a winery. Du Preez came on board as partner and general manager in March 2016, tasked with finishing the winery and making wine that same year. The winery is set on 15 acres along Highway 12 near the Novavine nursery and the town of Kenwood, Calif., in the Sonoma Valley. The vision is to offer top-notch winery equip- ment and services for clients producing wine to be sold for more than $30 per bottle. "We want to make this place feel like it's their winery," Du Preez said. Simultaneous winemaking and construction Before those clients could feel at home, Du Preez needed to make sure Sugarloaf would be a working winery in time for the 2016 harvest. That meant many long days and balancing the needs of the construction crews with the requirements of running a winery that would be processing about 500 tons of grapes for seven clients. "It adds a lot of stress," he said. "I can honestly say it adds tremendous pressure." Du Preez and his team didn't have three-phase power hook ups until August, and they didn't get a chance to tinker with any of their new winemaking equipment before having to use it. At one point it was 2:30 a.m., and Du Preez was installing TankNet control boxes on the new tanks with an electrician following close behind him doing the final connections. He and the rest of his winemaking team were back at the winery at 7 a.m. that same morning to start filling the tanks. "I'm very proud of our team for having to push through re- ally tough days," he said. "We had multiple 16-hour days." Before taking over at Sugarloaf, Du Preez oversaw production Sugarloaf Crush Opening just in time for harvest, new winery plans to offer premium winemaking services in Sonoma Valley By Andrew Adams KEY POINTS After breaking ground in September 2015, the staff at Sug- arloaf Crush in Sonoma County, Calif., had to get a new winery up and running in time for harvest 2016. A wide range of equipment facilitates winemaking in differ- ent styles and for different varieties. The custom-crush winery was designed for clients making wines that sell for more than $30 per bottle. TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT