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3 0 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m Western Australia and New Zea- land that he knew so well. T h e P r e m i u m W i n e G r o u p (PWG), as they named their new venture, was quickly established in 2000, with Lieb as primary investor and Hearn as founding partner and director of winemaking and produc- tion. Designed to provide vintners with an economical way to produce wine, PWG met a growing need in the Northeast. Today it has 20 New York customers, 18 from Long Island, two from the Finger Lakes and all of them farm-based winer- ies. The facility's client list includes some of the North Fork's premier producers, such as Baiting Hollow Farms Vineyard, Sherwood House Vineyards, Clovis Point Vineyards and Bouke Wines. SMALL, LARGE PRODUCERS WELCOME I asked Hearn if PWG caters only to relatively sizable producers. Not at all, he answered, adding: "All commercially producing wineries are welcome. We have some pro- ducers making 500 cases, and oth- ers more than 15,000 cases." Each producer must provide its own winemaking consultant; Hearn and PWG staff are involved in overall quality control, he said, but indi- vidual wineries are in charge of all their own stylistic decisions. PWG plays no role in marketing custom- ers' bottlings, nor does it offer wine storage services. S i n c e i t s i n c e p t i o n , P W G 's capacity has nearly doubled, from 65 tanks to 125. The facility cov- ers 23,000 square feet, with plans to enlarge barrel storage rooms and add more offices. "We have 18,000 additional external square footage of space for our crush pad receiv- ing area and outside tanks," Hearn explained. "Our maximum capac- ity in the future would top out at 140,000 cases." According to its admirers, PWG is notable both for its superior tech- nological equipment and its well- trained support staff. If he had to decide whether to invest money in technology or personnel, which would Hearn choose? His answer The Premium Wine Group facility covers 23,000 square feet, with room to expand. EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS