Q: How is your service different from traditional winemaking consultation?

A: Traditionally a winemaking consultant is hired to dictate production decisions. The Core Enology model instead focuses on helping individual wineries standardize their unique approach to winemaking. The goal is to create a production environment where product quality is improved and costly production errors are reduced.

Q: Will standardizing my production process take the "art" out of winemaking?

A: No. Winemaking will always be an intrinsically dynamic pursuit. Production process standardization simply aims to pin down the parts of the process that don't need to be moving targets. This allows the winemaking team to focus attention on the truly challenging aspects of their craft.

Q: Are the production process plans "written in stone"?

A: No. The Core Enology Quality Assurance framework will allow you to systematically assess and integrate improvements to your winemaking production process. 

Q: Like most wineries, we've had a number of employees come and go over the years. Will the Core Enology system help reduce the impact of personnel changes?

A: Yes. When you standardize your production process you're creating a framework that helps communicate expectations to new members of your winemaking team. It also fosters an atmosphere where the winemaking philosophy is winery-based as opposed to winemaker-based.

Q: Does Core Enology provide analytical services?

A: No. One of the critical first steps in working with a new client is to assess the winery's in-house analytical capabilities and to review Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures. Wineries vary greatly in their in-house capabilities, comfort level in the lab, and budgets allocated for analysis. Core Enology works directly with each client to find the right balance between in-house analysis and independent analytical services like ETS Laboratories.

Q: Is the Core Enology client list available?

A: The relationship with consulting clients is confidential, even to the extent of not publishing a client list. This allows open and honest discussions about the winemaking production process.

Q: If I become a client, do I have to use the products that are represented by Core Enology?

A: No. You have complete control over the production process, including deciding which winemaking products you utilize. Clients are entitled to certain discounts from vendors represented by Core Enology but there is absolutely no requirement that clients use those products.

Q: I'm interested... what's the next step?

A: Contact Core Enology.  We'll arrange a time to get together to discuss your quality assurance objectives and how the Core Enology services can be implemented to help you meet those objectives.