After my heart-stirring meeting with Santa Rosa Stainless Steel, who had promised to actively support my dream, I kept walking around inside the convention center. My objective was clear now.
To find companies that could help me complete the optimal equipment for making the wine I truly wanted.
“Can you install multipoint sensors on the tank? I’d like to place them at the top, middle, and bottom to track temperature stratification during fermentation.”
At the first consultation booth, the middle-aged employee who received my question laughed as if he found it absurd.
“One sensor is more than enough as it is. Even if there’s a temperature difference between the top and bottom, the inside of the tank circulates. There’s no need to increase costs for nothing.”
“Ah… is that so? So additional equipment would be difficult?”
“I’m sorry, but we’ve never done that level of work on fermentation tanks. If you want it, it’s possible, but… the cost…”
The estimate he handed me made my jaw drop, and I unconsciously took a step back. Multipoint sensors would become the standard in winemaking as time passed, but the wine industry still lacked an understanding of temperature stratification.
The second booth was even worse.
“Dissolved oxygen sensors? Even CO₂ sensors? Haha, that’s equipment you’d use in a university lab. You don’t need it in a winery.”
“An automatic control system? You mean a device connected to a PLC and cooling system that automatically activates when the temperature exceeds 27 degrees? Well, if you attach a thermometer to the side of the tank, your employees can check it regularly, can’t they?”
In the end, their answer was the same. “Our product is enough as it is.”
That might have been the correct answer. But in my mind, with my knowledge from before the regression, this system was absolutely necessary. The data accumulating during fermentation, cooling controlled automatically, the curve graphs built up year after year. I knew that only when that data accumulated could I make wine that improved every year.
After making a full round, my steps grew heavy.
“As expected, the times still aren’t ready…”
Around the time that thought crossed my mind, I discovered a small booth in the corner of the exhibition hall. There were no bustling crowds, only a few flyers laid out on a folding table. A Black man sitting quietly in a single chair, flipping through a notebook, somehow caught my eye.
On the booth’s sign, it was written in large letters:
[Delta Process Solutions]
Beneath it, in smaller text, was written, “Automation & Data Logging Solutions for the Food, Beverage, and Winery Industries.”
I naturally approached and asked.
“Do you happen to do tank customization as well?”
The man closed his notebook and raised his head. He wore a neat shirt, and his curly hair was trimmed short. His gaze was calm, but curiosity lingered in it.
“What kind of customization are you talking about?”
As if I had been waiting for that, I began explaining.
“I ordered tanks for my winery, and I want to add my own system to them.”
“What kind of…?”
“First, multipoint temperature sensors. Usually, there’s only one, right? I want to install them at the top, middle, and bottom of the tank. Would that be possible?”
He didn’t find my idea strange and nodded.
“…That’s a good idea. Normally, people make do with one, but in reality, the temperature difference between the upper and lower sections can be quite significant.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Second, dissolved oxygen sensors and CO₂ sensors. Right now, they’re equipment used in university labs, but could they be customized for a winery?”
The more he listened, the more interested he seemed, and now a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
“Oh— I’ve handled similar devices at large food and beverage plants before. Applying them to a winery would be an interesting attempt.”
“Good. Third, an automatic control device. You could call it a small-scale version of SCADA—Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. We’d attach a PLC—Programmable Logic Controller—so that when the temperature exceeds 27 degrees, the cooling system activates automatically and maintains it within a set range. I’d like to receive alerts by text message… Would that be possible?”
Thinking that technology of this level should be possible in 2005, I watched his reaction, and he readily nodded.
“Of course. It’s possible. The control logic can be programmed with a PLC, and alerts only require attaching a communication module. We can make it so you receive warnings on your cellphone.”
“Ah, that’s a relief. And lastly, data logging and analysis… I want to connect it to a laptop and save data by the minute.”
“You need that as well?”
“Haha. Yes…”
With that equipment, if I extracted the data into Excel graphs, I could compare fermentation curves every year.
He gave a bewildered smile.
“Wow… This isn’t just a tank. It’s a laboratory.”
“It might be. But what I want isn’t simply to make wine. I want to make wine that gets better every year.”
He stood up and offered a handshake.
“Marcus Brown. CEO of Delta Process Solutions. I originally designed automation systems for large beverage plants. But after going independent, I’ve been waiting for a challenge like this. Everything you mentioned—I can do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Modifying the internal piping of the fermentation tanks will require the manufacturer’s permission, but attaching sensors, logging equipment, and control systems is my specialty. If necessary, I’ll even fabricate custom boards to connect everything.”
We immediately calculated the necessary equipment and rough costs on a notepad sitting on the table. The PLC unit, sensor set, data logger, communication module… The total came to a little over fifty thousand dollars. It was far more reasonable than I had expected.
“Good. Let’s start installation as soon as the tanks come in.”
When I held out my hand, he gripped it firmly with both of his.
---
Two days had passed since I visited the Sacramento Convention Center. After purchasing tanks that would be equipped with the latest systems and more than eighty French oak barrels, I felt so full I could go without eating.
Yesterday, I spoke with technicians about building a fermentation room for the newly ordered fermentation tanks, and starting tomorrow, the winery expansion would begin in earnest.
How could this not set my heart racing?
“Whooo…”
I calmed my pounding heart and opened the door to the aging room. Cold air and the scent of wood rushed in at the same time.
“Doesn’t it already feel good?”
“That’s why I practically live in the aging room whenever there’s nothing else going on.”
At my question, Dad answered with a smile. Just the sight of the oak barrels lined up in rows was enough to delight the eyes.
“But are you really confident you can release it within a year?”
“Yes. Of course, it would be better to age it longer, but… our farm’s circumstances aren’t that comfortable. We have to tear up the farmland we bought from Silver Oak right away, and that’ll cost money too…”
“That’s true.”
“Chloe’s farm, which entered a strategic partnership with us, won’t be much help to our revenue until all the varieties are replaced. Jacob’s farm will have a faster effect than Chloe’s, at least, but rice farming basically doesn’t bring in a huge amount of revenue, so it won’t be a big help.”
Since we had already signed a strategic partnership contract with Jacob, I wanted to help grow his farm, but the problem was that rice farming wasn’t easy, and its revenue was lower than cherries. So I was considering whether it might be better to use the rice from Jacob’s farm to make makgeolli or soju, but I hadn’t brought it up yet.
“So I understand why you want to release it within one year no matter what, but I’m worried it might hurt the winery’s reputation.”
“That won’t happen. I’m quite confident about this.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So just follow my lead.”
“Of course, of course. Dad will work hard to follow his son.”
I opened the vent of the first barrel and smelled it.
“Good. There’s nothing wrong with the smell. Watch closely.”
Then I connected a sterilized hose to the racking pump and gently transferred only the wine into a clean vessel beside it, making sure not to disturb the lees—dead yeast and sediment—settled at the bottom of the barrel. Racking was simple, but to prevent cloudiness, off-odors, and oxidation in the wine, the basics had to be done precisely.
As soon as the transfer was finished, I measured free SO₂—free sulfur dioxide.
“With a pH of 3.62… around 30 mg/L. Good. The reason we rack like this is because if dead yeast, skins, seed powder, and protein residue at the bottom of the tank are left together for too long, strange odors like rotten eggs can mix in. The important thing here is that fine lees are okay, but coarse lees are not.”
I calculated the amount to add and slowly mixed in the prepared meta—potassium metabisulfite—solution.
“You mix it like this, then measure again, repeating until the level enters the stable range.”
“What range is considered stable?”
“It should fall between 25 and 35 mg/L. Then it’s considered safe from oxidation or contamination by unwanted microbes.”
“Got it.”
After working like that for quite some time, we tasted the second barrel.
“How is it?”
“The aroma seems good…”
I took a sip as well. Dad’s expression had been ambiguous, and sure enough, I felt the tannins in my mouth, angular and rough.
“It’s because the tannins are rough. At times like this, you need to introduce a little oxygen.”
“How much?”
“Very little.”
I connected a sterilized micro-bubble stone—porous stainless steel—to the racking line and opened the sterile air line at a low flow rate.
“Now, look. It’s at about 0.5 to 1.0 mL per minute through the capillary. Since the equipment isn’t large, we’re sending it in at a very low flow rate.”
“Does everyone do it this way?”
A smile tugged at my lips.
“No. But this is how it should be done. Trust your son. But as I said earlier, only a very little, tasting as we go, slowly… and briefly.”
At this stage, people would be quick to say that injecting oxygen like this was dangerous. It could cover the aroma, and if overdone, it could ruin the wine through oxidation.
“Next, we’ll fine-tune the oak aroma. Each barrel has a different aroma, you see. Some lots have too much oak, and some lots lack fruit aroma and feel flat.”
“Oh—”
“The principle is simple. Fruit aroma at the center, oak as support.”
“So the fruit aroma is the most important?”
“Exactly. Barrels with strong oak should be calmed down by blending in some wine from barrels with weaker aroma. Conversely, in barrels where the oak is weak and only the fruit stands out, we add a small amount of oak cubes or staves to fine-tune the tone. Cubes transmit aroma quickly, but if you overuse them, they can give off a plastic-like smell, so you have to use small amounts for short periods and taste frequently…”
That was when it happened.
“Brian! You have guests outside!”
It was Armando’s voice. Dad and I looked at each other, then went outside. Outside the winery stood a white man who looked to be in his fifties and a white woman who appeared to be in her thirties.
“Where are you from?”
When Dad asked, the man smiled and held out his hand.
“I’m Robert Hayden, CEO of Hayden Wine Dealers, which distributes wine throughout California. This is my business partner, Alice Morgan. She’s the purchasing director of the San Francisco Wine Group.”
The woman called Alice gave a slight nod and offered a handshake.
“Nice to meet you.”
Their eyes were not those of ordinary guests, but of buyers with a purpose.
“And?”
“I heard you’re doing a custom crush with Pinot Noir.”
When Dad frowned slightly, as if asking how he knew that, Robert spoke as though there was nothing strange about it.
“That level of information isn’t a great secret. I also know there was a tasting held here.”
Only then did Dad and I realize how they had found their way here, and we looked at each other.
“We’re very interested in the Pinot Noir you’re custom crushing, but of course, you won’t give that up, will you?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s unfortunate. Then how about this? Right now, the price for mid-tier Pinot Noir is around 15 to 30 dollars per bottle. We’ll pre-purchase the entire lot at 25 dollars per bottle.”
At the astonishing offer, Dad was shocked. And so was I. Even if we estimated the shipment at 75,000 bottles, he was talking about throwing down roughly over 1.8 million dollars at once.
Moreover, the fact that he had decided on a price without even tasting it meant he had already gained some kind of certainty from someone who had attended the tasting. Probably someone extremely reliable.
Dad briefly met my eyes. When I gave a faint shake of my head, he immediately waved his hand.
“I’m sorry. We won’t sell.”
“Wait a moment. Surely you don’t think you can sell it for more than this?”
I was the one who answered.
“It’s true that mid-tier prices are around 15 to 30 dollars, but our wine is from Sonoma County. And from Russian River Valley, at that. You would need to offer at least 45 dollars or more, even at wholesale.”
“That’s 40 dollars retail.”
When his expression hardened, I shrugged.
“I know. But who knows? The price could go even higher.”
“That’s…”
“And most decisively… we already have a contract with a distribution company. So even if you offer us more, we can’t sign with you.”
At those words, the two of them looked as though there was nothing they could do and went down from the winery.
“You said we have a contract? Are you talking about Mr. John Anderson?”
“I just used it as an excuse. Trying to lowball us like that. Don’t worry about it.”
“All right.”
I watched the two of them recede into the distance, my heart trembling.
I could feel it.
The price of Pinot Noir was beginning to fluctuate.