Big News

Graton, CA - Sonoma Wine Company, the North Coast’s largest, full-service crush-to-bottle contract winery services provider, has partnered with Winesecrets, a leading provider of wine production technologies, to offer cross-platform services to its third-party clients. This unique partnership will support clients throughout the winemaking process; from custom crushing and blending, bottling, labeling, barrel storage, bulk wine storage, and case goods storage services to a full spectrum of additional specialty vinification services.

Exciting new services featured through this partnership include environmentally friendly tartaric stabilization through Winesecrets’ Selective Tartrate Removal System (STARS) filtration technology. STARS utilizes electrodialysis to rapidly remove tartrate crystals formed during fermentation, creating a clean, pure wine with just a fraction of the energy required by bulk refrigeration. As a result, the system accomplishes in hours what typically takes days and weeks using conventional cold stabilization techniques. Winesecrets has housed its newest STARS units at Sonoma Wine Company, offering clients immediate access to this cutting-edge technology.

Through the partnership, Sonoma Wine Company will also offer other services such as Crossflow filtration, which is rapidly becoming the method of choice for wine clarification. Another offering made available through the partnership is alcohol removal services.

“This alliance will allow us to provide in-house filtration and wine finishing services at extremely competitive prices by eliminating the need for our clients to transport their wines to an outside location,” says Mark Castaldi, General Manager of Sonoma Wine Company. “This newly created alliance with Winesecrets has allowed Sonoma Wine Company the opportunity to provide its clients with the broadest and widest possible portfolio of services,” he adds.

“Sonoma Wine Company is a clear leader in cost effective production services,” says Eric Dahlberg, President of Winesecrets. “Our alliance with Sonoma Wine Company offers their clients preferred access to cutting edge winemaking technologies while providing Winesecrets with an operating hub within the Napa appellation to service our new and existing customers.”

This newest partnership is a continuation of Sonoma Wine Company’s ongoing strategy to develop strategic alliances with key supply chain service providers. By taking this approach, Sonoma Wine Company will continue to assist client wineries with opportunities for improved efficiencies and reduced costs by providing a “one stop shopping” alternative.

About Sonoma Wine Company

Sonoma Wine Company is a full-service crush-to-bottle contract winery partnering with California wine producers to crush, ferment, barrel, bottle and warehouse wine programs of all sizes. With five modern facilities located in both Sonoma and Napa counties, the facility can accommodate any size program. With superior customer service and a wide array of equipment including state-of-the-art crush facilities, over two million gallons of stainless cooperage, and six modern bottling lines, the facility can tailor its services and highly experienced staff to match client’s programs so that clients can spend time connecting with distributors, building a customer base, and growing brands. Sonoma Wine Company has tailored its business to match the size of almost any wine program from private label to large contract producers. Whether companies are producing 500 cases or 500,000 cases, Sonoma Wine Company can scale a company’s growth accordingly.

About Winesecrets

Winesecrets, headquartered in Sebastopol, CA, was founded in 2003 to bring STARS, an environmentally friendly solution for tartaric stabilization to the North American wine industry. Winesecrets other filtration services include Volatile Acidity Reduction, Brettanomyces (4EP/4EG) mitigation, and other taint removal. Winesecrets also provides mobile and fixed Alcohol Adjustment (at its Sebastopol, CA hub), Ultra Filtration, Cross-Flow Micro-Filtration and mobile centrifugal clarification. Winesecrets is known for creating useful services from promising wine production technologies.

For more information about Sonoma Wine Company, their management team, or to arrange interviews, please contact Lisa Ehrlich at lehrlich@purplewine.com or (707) 829-6132.

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Graton, CA – After a vigorous review process, Sonoma Wine Company’s American Canyon Facility attained ISO 22000 certification for a second consecutive year, remaining the first and only custom crush wine facility to achieve this designation in the state of California. The certification includes a well-defined and documented Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety program qualifying the facility to handle imported bulk wine. The American Canyon facility provides contract services to third party winery clients in the following areas: custom crush, bulk wine storage, barrel storage, bottling, and case goods storage.

To obtain ISO 22000 certification, the American Canyon facility passed a rigorous two day audit consisting of document review and physical site inspection. This year’s certification is especially noteworthy as the facility doubled its bottling, storage, and crush volumes in 2011 from 2010.

Meeting ISO 22000 standards means that a facility has an excellent level of management, well-documented operating procedures, and high quality food safety practices. An ISO 22000 is the only certification that is recognized as an internationally consistent standard and allows companies to do business in a global market.

“The attainment of this quality and food safety certification for the second consecutive year is a significant achievement for this site and provides us with a distinct and significant point of differentiation from our competitors,” says Mark Castaldi, General Manager of the American Canyon Facility.

About Sonoma Wine Company
Sonoma Wine Company is a full-service crush-to-bottle contract winery partnering with California wine producers to crush, ferment, barrel, bottle, and warehouse wine programs of all sizes. With five modern facilities located in both Sonoma and Napa counties, the facility can accommodate any size program. With superior customer service and a wide array of equipment including state-of-the-art crush facilities, over two million gallons of stainless cooperage, and six modern bottling lines, the facility can tailor its services and highly experienced staff to match client’s programs, so that clients can spend time connecting with distributors, building a customer base, and growing brands. Sonoma Wine Company has tailored its business to match the size of almost any wine program from private label to large contract producers. Whether companies are producing 500 cases or 500,000 cases, Sonoma Wine Company can scale a company’s growth accordingly. The obtainment of ISO 22000 and HACCP certification also allows Sonoma Wine Company the ability to facilitate bulk-imported wines.

For more information about Sonoma Wine Company, their management team, or to arrange interviews, please contact Lisa Ehrlich at lehrlich@purplewine.com or (707) 829-6132.

Graton, CA – August 15, 2011 – Sonoma Wine Company (SWC) has announced the hire of Scott Loopstra to the position of Director of Operations at the American Canyon Facility. Loopstra’s appointment follows a company-wide initiative for expansion and re-organization of internal structure.

Over the past 27 years, Loopstra has refined his skills in the wine industry and contributed his knowledge to several reputable North Coast wineries.  Loopstra’s most recent endeavor as Director of Operations at Vintage Wine Estates (Grove Street Winery) led him to continue this relevant position with SWC.  In particular, Loopstra’s involvement with Blackstone Sonoma in 2004 brought him in contact with many members of the SWC organization and the quality of his work there was not forgotten.

Loopstra is well versed in nearly all aspects of the wine industry – from winemaking, directing operations and bottling to overall management, he is committed to increasing productivity in the work field and brings a tenure of professional achievements to the table. His familiarity with modern winery practices and procedures act as a highly beneficial asset to SWC and its ventures in maintaining efficiency and sustainability in grape-to-bottle winemaking.

As Director of Operations at SWC’s American Canyon, Loopstra will oversee day-to-day operations for all company functions including cellar, lab, winemaking, bottling, warehousing and maintenance functions.  The implementation of Loopstra’s new position compliments the company’s initiative for rapid expansion.

About Sonoma Wine Company

Sonoma Wine Company provides unparalleled grape-to-bottle winemaking capabilities in Northern California.  The integration of custom winery services offers one-stop-shopping for virtual and existing wineries including crush to-bottle, tank and barrel storage and services, box wine and keg wine filling, case goods warehousing, private label and direct to consumer fulfillment. Their Sonoma and Napa county facilities produce more than five million cases of wine annually for 30 clients.  Over the past few years, Sonoma Wine Company’s focus on resource conservation and efficiency resulted in significant reductions in water and fossil fuel use while garnering recognition from many agencies including PG&E and the EPA for establishing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 2005. For more information please visit www.sonomawineco.com or contact Charles Communications Associates at press@charlescom.com or 415-701-9463.

Graton, CA – March 22, 2011: Sonoma Wine Company (SWC),the dynamic and fast-growing custom winery services company, announced today the promotion of Mark Castaldi to General Manager of their American Canyon facility. SWC will be implementing a significant expansion program at the America Canyon facility over the next few months to expand both bottling and crush capacities. This expansion required the leadership and oversight of someone capable of providing strategic direction and executing productivity and process improvements. Castaldi, with over 25 years of experience in the food, beverage, and wine industries and a proven tenure of senior level executive management positions, was a natural choice for the position.

Mark Castaldi

Castaldi, who holds a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics, has prior experience in the food industry that includes Strategic Planning, Financial Analysis, and Operations Analysis with several multi-national and globally branded packaged food companies. For the past 11 years, he has held several senior level Operations Management positions which have included General Manager, Vice President of Operations, and COO within the wine industry. His tenure in the industry has included the following companies: Beringer Wine Estates, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, Icon Estates, and most recently Sonoma Wine Company. In addition, he’s provided private consulting services for several large winery clients.

He has already proven himself to be a dynamic addition to the SWC team. His current role at SWC has been focused on providing overall strategic direction for the company with regards to facility utilization, fee structure/client relationships, services provided, and new business ventures. As General Manager of SWC’s American Canyon custom crush, bottling, and storage facility Castaldi will have direct supervisory responsibility over day-to-day operations. The expansion plans that he will directly manage include the addition of 500,000 additional gallons of stainless steel bulk wine storage capacity, amplification of barrel storage and processing capabilities, doubled crush capacity, increased bottling volume, and a partnership with Winesecrets to offer wine filtration services. The creation of this new partnership with Winesecrets further enhances SWC’s portfolio of services that they are able to offer to clients at one centralized location.

This announcement and plans for growth follows a period of rapid expansion for SWC. This past November they were internationally recognized for the installation of a revolutionary solar cogeneration system—further evidence of their commitment to leadership in sustainability within the wine industry. Just this month, they were awarded ISO 22000 certification at the American Canyon facility, the prestigious international standard of food safety in the ISO quality management series, becoming the first US winery to ever do so.

International quality management and food safety certification raises the bar on quality services

GRATON, CA March 7, 2011- Sonoma Wine Company’s (SWC) American Canyon winery received ISO 22000 certification last week making them the first US winery to achieve ISO 22000, the international standard of food safety in the ISO quality management series.  “Quality management systems streamline operations, reduce costs and stimulate innovation in operational practices” says Dennis Carroll, President of Sonoma Wine Company.  “It is about continuous improvement and best business practices, hot button topics that dovetail nicely with our sustainable business goals” adds GM, Ed Silva.

With the exception of larger wineries that have active import and export programs, the US wine industry by and large has not complied with international standards for quality management certifications. SWC, as the largest contract winery service provider on the north coast, is positioning itself to offer contract services to wine producing countries that look favorably on these certifications or, in the case of Australia for example, require certification in order to receive and package their bulk wine. “There is a business opportunity for us to attract import bulk-to-bottle programs from countries whose import programs are at a disadvantage due to exchange rates. Shipping bulk is more efficient and can be more cost effective than shipping finished cased goods,” notes Natasha Granoff, Director of Business Development.  “And it is equally attractive from a lower carbon footprint perspective.”

This certification is further demonstrative of SWC’s industry leadership in best business practices, environmental stewardship, and sustainability. It follows a year rich with impactful milestones for SWC, including the installation of a groundbreaking solar cogeneration system at the Graton, California facility this past November.

About Sonoma Wine Company

Sonoma Wine Company provides unparalleled grape-to-bottle winemaking capabilities in Northern California.  The integration of custom winery services offers one-stop-shopping for virtual and existing wineries including crush to-bottle, tank and barrel storage and services, box wine and keg wine filling, case goods warehousing, private label and direct to consumer fulfillment . Their Sonoma and Napa county facilities produce more than five million cases of wine annually for 30 clients.  Over the past few years, Sonoma Wine Company’s focus on resource conservation and efficiency resulted in significant reductions in water and fossil fuel use while garnering recognition from many agencies including PG&E and the EPA for establishing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 2005.

Graton Calif. – November 5, 2010 – Cogenra Solar™, a provider of distributed solar cogeneration systems and renewable energy service solutions, today announced the unveiling of its solar cogeneration demonstration project at the Sonoma Wine Company in Graton, California. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures were among honored guests at a ceremony yesterday afternoon to flip the switch on the 272-kilowatt (kW) installation, now supplying renewable heat and electricity to support the company’s winery operations.

The historic commissioning represents the first commercial-scale installation of its kind, combining proven photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in one solar array in an important move toward more affordable and efficient utilization of solar energy.

“This is a very significant milestone for Cogenra as we bring our first project online in California’s wine country and toast to a bright future with solar cogeneration,” Cogenra CEO Dr. Gilad Almogy said in his welcoming remarks. “Cogenra’s technology merges the best photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies to meet two valuable industrial needs, low cost heat and electricity. Our solution produces five times more energy and three times the greenhouse gas reductions over traditional solar offerings.”

The solar cogeneration installation employs 15 individual Cogenra SunBase™ modules to displace approximately 64,000 kilowatt-hours and 12,500 therms of natural gas annually. The solar thermal element will heat water to 165°F to sustainably fuel Sonoma Wine Company’s wine tank wash and wine barrel washing system.

The Sonoma Wine Company will purchase the heat and electricity generated from the installation at guaranteed energy rates from Cogenra under the company’s Heat and Power Purchase Agreement (HPPA). Under the HPPA, Cogenra will maintain ownership of the solar cogeneration modules, and Sonoma Wine Company will hedge against rising and volatile electric and gas prices throughout the 15-year contract.

“In vetting renewable energy solutions for Graton, we found Cogenra was the perfect match–high impact without high cost,” stated Derek Benham, founder and owner of Sonoma Wine Company. “Their solar cogeneration offering serves our energy requirements for hot water and electricity, and Cogenra’s innovative financing solution provides all the benefits and savings of on-site generation without the capital costs.”

Contributing to Sonoma Wine Company’s demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable winemaking practices, the 272-kilowatt installation will eliminate more than 120 metric tons per year of greenhouse gases, the equivalent of removing nearly 25 passenger cars from the road annually.

Appointed in May as a senior environmental advisor to Khosla Ventures, a premier cleantech venture capital firm and lead investor in Cogenra, the former British Prime Minister attended the event to support Cogenra in its endeavors to usher in the new age of solar cogeneration and more widespread use of carbon-free energy.

“Technological innovation is the key to mitigating climate change; though clean technologies must make economic sense. Because Cogenra has achieved a cost-effective approach, the environmental benefits of solar cogeneration have the potential for true global impact,” said Mr. Blair. “It’s up to companies that are both visionary and savvy, like Cogenra, to set us on the right path to decrease our use of fossil fuels and build a more sustainable future.”

Derek Benham addresses the crowd on behalf of Sonoma Wine Company

GRATON, CA, November 4, 2010– Sonoma Wine Company, Northern California’s comprehensive, fully integrated crush-to-bottle contract winery, now in it’s seventh year of business, has signed Kautz Vineyards, Inc. to bottle the Ironstone and Leaping Horse brands at their American Canyon facility. The decision to move to Sonoma Wine Company came about as a result of outgrowing the original family-owned winery in Murphys, CA, along with an opportunity to achieve significant cost savings through improved supply chain management in the form of reduced transportation, warehousing, and bottling costs.

Richard Conley, COO at Kautz explains, “We spent better than a year researching and investigating this decision and came to the conclusion that the Sonoma Wine Company offers the highest level of service, quality, and professionalism—qualities which we associate with our brands. We are very excited about this new opportunity for the Ironstone and Leaping Horse brands and look forward to our long term partnership with the Sonoma Wine Company.” Kautz Vineyards, Inc. produces and sells nearly a half million cases of wine annually and is one of the top 10 winegrape growers and family-owned and operated wineries in the United States.

Since its inception in 2003, Sonoma Wine Company has grown to include six facilities strategically located throughout Sonoma and Napa Counties, offering effective supply chain management solutions to the wine industry by providing comprehensive services from crush to bottle.

Sonoma Wine Company is currently awaiting ISO 22000 certification, which attests to its commitment to responsible business practices, safety, and risk control, and offers SWC and its clients an advantage in the competitive global wine market.

Sonoma Wine Company Signs Contract with Winery Exchange and Adds New Services

GRATON, CA, March 1, 2010–Sonoma Wine Company (SWC), a leader in contract wine production, today announced the signing of a long-term winery services contract with Winery Exchange and the addition of several new service offerings.

Winery Exchange, a Novato-based firm, is a global supplier of private label wine, beer and spirits brands for retailers such as Costco, Tesco, Supervalu, Kroger and Sainsbury. Producing over 3 million cases worldwide in 2009, Winery Exchange has partnered with Sonoma Wine Company for the past 7 years.

Dennis Carroll, President of Sonoma Wine Company commented, “We are pleased to continue our long relationship with Winery Exchange, and look forward to many more successful years for both Winery Exchange and Sonoma Wine Company.”

In addition to the crush, storage and bottling services that Sonoma Wine Company offers at six facilities throughout Northern California, SWC recently expanded its offerings to include Bag in the Box and keg wines.

“Our goal has always been to provide high-quality, cost-effective winemaking services for our partners — which are even more critical in today’s climate. Adding Bag in the Box and kegging demonstrates our commitment to servicing our customers’ requirements as well as keeping current with market demand,” stated Carroll.

About Sonoma Wine Company
Sonoma Wine Company provides unparalleled grape-to-bottle winemaking capabilities in Northern California.  Custom winery services include, crush-to-bottle, tank and barrel storage and services, and case goods warehousing to existing wineries and virtual wineries. The facilities produce more than four million cases of wine annually for 30 clients. Over the past few years, Sonoma Wine Company’s Graton facility has been recognized by the EPA and other organizations for its energy efficiency, water conservation and environmentally conscious winemaking operations. Sonoma Wine Company has been an EPA Climate Leader since 2005, establishing a greenhouse gas inventory baseline, and became an accredited Sonoma County Green Business in 2008.