Winemaking


Typically, the goal of Bursick Wine Consulting is to enhance the stylistic direction that has been established by the winery. On other occasions, a radical departure is desired by a winery whose previous style has not met expectations in the marketplace. Developing new products is a Bursick specialty, having created and launched several of the most commercially successful brands in California.

Winemaking Overview

  • Meet with ownership, and others, to gain a clear understanding of the wineries stylistic and marketing objectives. Review winery’s winemaking protocols.
  • Taste past and current inventories.
  • Taste winery’s aspirational competitive wine set against current products.
  • Visit all the winery’s vineyards to ascertain that grape source/vineyard management is consistent with the winery’s targets for quality.
  • Review barrel programs with regard to compatibility of cooperages, wood sources, oak aging and toasting levels in each of the winery’s product styles.
  • Taste and make suggestions as to blending or fining with the goal of creating wines that are silky, weighty, with exceptionally long mouth feel, a stylistic signature of BWC’s wines.
  • Establish winemaking stylistic protocols prior to harvest with respect to variety/vineyard/block specific winemaking. BWC’s proven innovative fermentation “tricks” will be discussed for incorporation into winery’s winemaking strategy.
  • Work with winery staff to embrace new “cutting edge” winemaking philosophies such as extended white wine barrel fermentations, and block specific red wine fermentation protocols.
  • With winery staff, monitor red wine fermentations on a daily basis to determine pressing for optimal flavor extraction while minimizing hard seed tannin extraction. This can be achieved by BWC’s innovative fermentation seed removal philosophy.
  • With winery staff, monitor malo-lactic fermentation decisions, barrel aging and pre-blending lot selection for winery’s various programs and bottle price tier programs.