Instruments are designed to always give you a number.
How do you know those numbers are right?
Most wineries are capable of performing at least basic analyses during the production process. Regardless of the scope of the lab, winemakers need to have a firm understanding of the capabilities of their in-house methods. What is the accuracy and precision of each method? What is the cost per analysis? Do I have adequate Quality Control systems in place to ensure confidence in the numbers? These are questions I can help answer. The assessment sessions are also great opportunities to train/refresh staff on in-house methods and good laboratory practices.
What's involved in a typical Laboratory Assessment & Training session?
An integral component of every analytical laboratory is the Quality Assurance framework. The QA frameworks I implement for my clients help to ensure that every result generated in the lab is accurate. Typically this involves generating Standard Operating Procedures, implementing quality control samples, and periodically running comparisons against an independent analytical lab like ETS Laboratories.
Quality assurance for the winemaking production process
Larger wineries have the luxury of devoting a person or team of people to monitoring and managing product quality throughout the production process. In the case of Core Enology, my services are shared across a group of wineries and that allows me to provide them with cost-effective access to Quality Assurance support. Through the development of Production Process Timelines and HACCP -based Production Process Diagrams (see examples below), I work directly with the winemaking team to create a standardized production process framework. This framework is further refined by the development of written standard operating procedures, process checklists, supply ordering and preventive maintenance calendars, and standardized training programs.
