TEMECULA, Calif., Nov. 7, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A little more than a year after opening its doors, Temecula Valley Winery Management has made it easy for nearly a dozen clients to start their own wineries and to make, bottle and sell their own boutique wines.
The company's Virtual Vineyard to Vendor winemaking facility in Temecula, Ca. today is filled with hundreds of barrels of aging wine, fermentation tanks and giant covered plastic bins filled with a ton of wine juice sitting on grape skins.
"We've made it easier and affordable for everyone to get into the wine business and produce their own labels," said Patrick Bartlett, executive director of Temecula Valley Winery Management. "About 10 clients ranging from boutique start-up wineries who want to make their wine to those who are making plans for $15 million wineries and vineyards have signed up for our unique winery management services."
For Chris and Melody Johnston of Idyllwild, CA, TVWM's one-stop approach has allowed them to begin producing and marketing their own wine label much sooner than they thought for considerably less dollars.
The Johnstons had planned to build their own winery in Idyllwild, a mountain resort 30 minutes east of Hemet, CA, but quickly became frustrated by the permitting process. Chris figures he saved hundreds of thousands of dollars and many sleepless nights by working with TVWM and its skilled team of vineyard and winery experts.
"They are nothing but accommodating," said Johnston, an engineer who helps design and maintain large scale data networks. "They have made it very easy for us to bang our wine out."
The couple plan to release their first wines under the Middle Ridge Winery label next spring and sell it through a two-story, 2,800-square-foot co-op tasting room/wine bar being built in Old Town Temecula where wine lovers can taste and buy wine made by TVWM clients.
TVWM's 33,000-square-foot Virtual Vineyard to Vendor facility on Diaz Road in Temecula operates as a fully bonded winery host facility and provides a secured space for multiple winemakers to process their own grapes and produce their own wines under the guidance of award-winning consulting winemaker Tim Kramer.
Temecula Valley Winery Management's unique structure and services are possible because it operates as an "alternating proprietorship," an arrangement that allows fledgling winemakers to work within a fully licensed wine making facility to produce and sell wine directly to consumers.
Temecula Valley Winery Management was created in June 2007. It is the only true full-service winery management company in Southern California. Rather than millions of dollars to start a winery, TVWM has lowered the cost of entry to the wine business by hundreds of thousands of dollars.