Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/299589
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a y - J u n e 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 8 1 pinot noir – whereas in California you're dealing with multiple vari- eties. In California, we're trying to set the winery up to do sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, mer- lot and cabernet. We're not really set up to receive a large amount of tonnage, so we don't have the right size tanks, we're always trying to turn tanks. [ V & W M ] D o y o u t h i n k t h e increase in mechanical harvesting in the United States will help? [ NG ] It's inevitable that it's going to happen, but the main bot- tleneck today is in grape receival. The wineries are not set up for it. You take a winery like Clos du Bois – I can say that because I used to work there – there were days when we had 20 trucks all lined up, sitting and waiting. One of the issues is the growers grapes from the vineyard into the winery. How so? [ NG ] The main problem is the inefficiency of the winery. We've still got a hang-up (in the United States) on hand harvesting, so we're bred to be inefficient. In New Zealand and Australia the labor is so expensive (the equivalent in U.S. dollars of $19 to $25 per hour), so we have to be very efficient. Look at Marlborough – we can crush 300,000 or 400,000 tons in a week. Try and do that here in the Alexan- der Valley. [ V&WM ] How do they manage that in Australia and New Zealand? [ N G ] T h e r e 's a l o t m o r e machine harvesting going on, and the trellis systems are set up to be farmed that way. Then you're only dealing with one or two varieties in New Zealand – sauvignon blanc and not showing up on time. Maybe the grower delivers one or two trucks (at a time) instead of one big truck, so that means you have to continu- ally wait for them to come back, and then you've got the wineries not able to receive so much (ton- nage) per hour. What we do in the U.S. is, we seem to have only one or two presses whereas a lot of these other countries put in large banks of them. [ V&WM ] Mechanical harvesters and other equipment can be expen- sive for smaller operations. How can they afford these efficiencies? [ NG ] They can do what other countries do, and share equipment. [ V&WM ] How does that work? [ NG ] Well, you call "Bob" up – let's say he's got four machines – and you tell him you want to har- vest 100 tons of sauvignon blanc, and you schedule it. You're not just going to call out of the blue, you're going to book him six months out. Which day you want to pick is obvi- ously up to the season, but if he has you on the books he's going to stay in touch and he's not going to overcommit. You try to schedule it around the ripening times in differ- ent regions. [ V&WM ] Aside from production inefficiencies, what else concerns you about the U.S. wine industry? [ NG ] I think we're listening too closely to retailers, letting them drive the business. Although we're in a three-tier system, what's hap- pened is that I can tour around now + Born: Auckland, New Zealand + Education: Honors degree in horticulture, Lincoln College, New Zealand; viti- culture studies, Charles Sturt University, Australia; post-graduate degree in enology, University of Adelaide, Australia. + Current position: Consultant + Previous experience: Winemaker, Simi Winery, California; executive vice president/winemaker, Allied Domecq Wines USA/Beam Wine Estates. + Personal: Along with skiing, boating, running and tennis, Goldschmidt enjoys watching his five kids play various sports. NICK GOLDSCHMIDT'S RESUME Nick Goldschmidt surveys a vineyard in Healdsburg, Calif. Photo: George Rose NEW & USED UNITS AVAILABLE All Major Credit Cards Accepted 866-307-9731 FAX: 281-227-8404 COLD SHOT CHILLERS ® s Low Temperature Glycol Chillers &XVWRP'HVLJQHG&RROLQJ$SSOLFDWLRQVIURPWR7RQV s Most MacKLQes ShippeGLQ Weeks or Less s 5 Year Compressor WaUUDQW\ s3URYLGLQJ&RROLQJ6ROXWLRQV IRU Years s Free TeFKQLFDO Support www.waterchillers.com