CLIENT HANDBOOK UPDATED AUGUST 2023
1 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................................2 BASIC INFORMATION.................................................................................................................................................2 CLIENT ACCESS ...........................................................................................................................................................3 CLIENT RECORD ACCESS.............................................................................................................................................3 CONFERENCE ROOM USAGE......................................................................................................................................3 WI-FI ACCESS..............................................................................................................................................................4 WORK ORDER REQUEST FORMS & SUBMISSIONS....................................................................................................4 BARREL STORAGE.......................................................................................................................................................4 • TOPPING.........................................................................................................................................................4 • BREAKDOWN VESSELS ...................................................................................................................................4 • ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................................4 • ADDITIONS .....................................................................................................................................................5 • PAST TERM STORAGE.....................................................................................................................................5 SAMPLE REQUESTS ....................................................................................................................................................5 DIPS, GAUGING & LOSSES..........................................................................................................................................5 SHIPPING & RECEIVING..............................................................................................................................................5 HARVEST CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................................................................................................6 • FRUIT DELIVERY REQUESTS............................................................................................................................6 • LABELING OF GRABE DELIVERY BINS.............................................................................................................6 • FRUIT PROCESSING ........................................................................................................................................6 • TONNAGE OVERAGE ......................................................................................................................................6 BOTTLING CONSIDERATIONS.....................................................................................................................................6 • SCHEDULING...................................................................................................................................................6 • PACKAGING MATERIALS ................................................................................................................................7 • SHIPPING........................................................................................................................................................7 IMPORTANT DECISION, CONTRACT, & DEPOSIT DATES ...........................................................................................7 CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE............................................................................................................................................8
2 INTRODUCTION You have made a big decision in trusting Walla Walla Wine Services (WWWS) with the elaboration and care of your wines. This is your Client Handbook and is intended to answer general questions about WWWS not covered in the contracts, to expand on important aspects of the contracts, and to provide guidance for client interaction and communication with WWWS. Following these guidelines will facilitate good communication, set clear expectations, and help ensure the best outcomes for your wines. BASIC INFORMATION ADDRESS Walla Walla Wine Services Building C, Suite 100 Walla Walla, WA 99362 PHONE NUMBER 509-240-1891 BONDED WINERY NUMBER BWN-WA-21280 BUSINESS CONTACTS Stephanie Whitaker, Business Development &Marketing Manager [email protected] Jake Mayfield, Director of Operations [email protected] Ethan Howell, Assistant Winemaker [email protected] Sarah Aichele, Client Operations Specialist [email protected] Work Order Requests [email protected] BUSINESS HOURS DAY TIME Non-harvest Monday – Friday 7:00am – 3:30pm Harvest Monday – Sunday 7:00am – 7:00pm Shipping & receiving Monday – Friday 8:00am – 3:00pm **Docks are first come, first serve, 24-hour advanced notice of deliveries required*** HOLIDAY HOURS New Years Eve Martin Luther King Day President’s Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day (if harvest allows) Thanksgiving Day after Thanksgiving Christmas Day New Year’s Day 1/2/23 1/16/23 2/20/23 5/26/23 7/4/23 9/4/23 11/24/23 11/25/23 12/25/23 1/1/24
3 CLIENT ACCESS Per the current contract, Client may designate up to two (2) persons to inspect wine and observe bottling at the winery. If preparations (samples, glassware, etc.) are needed, please email [email protected] at least two days prior to your intended visit. If you would like to bring more than two people for any visit or tour, approval must be obtained from WWWS prior to arrival. Any/all photography or video to be taken inside the WWWS facilities must be scheduled in advance and content preapproved. Client visits are limited to normal business hours only (see page 2). Client visits must be scheduled to not interfere with normal winery operations. Access may be limited by company holidays, staff training, or other unforeseen reasons. Please check with WWWS to ensure access is available before planning your visit. Clients and any visitors must sign in/out upon arrival/exit on the form provided at the front desk. Clients may assist WWWS staff in routine tasks only to ensure that Client’s winemaking protocols are being executed as desired, but clients shall not operate WWWS forklifts, or other heavy equipment. Clients may not enter any fermentation vessels or other confined spaces. CLIENT RECORD ACCESS DropBox Vintrace WWWS uses the cloud service DropBox for client record management. All Bills of Lading, bottling records, weigh tags, COLA applications, check scans, and all blank workorder request template forms may be found in the client DropBox folders. Please contact Stephanie Whitaker or Sarah Aichele if you cannot find the link to your client folder. WWWS uses the Vintrace database cloud software for all winemaking record keeping and winery task management. Each client has a unique Vintrace Owner’s login that allows read-only access to the most current information about all their own lots. Clients can only see the lots belonging to their wine brand. Vintrace can be accessed from any browser using the link below; there is a mobile app as well. Vintrace Access The WWWS customer code in Vintrace is: wavint (required the first time you log-in). There are several training videos available through Vintrace or YouTube: Vintrace Intro Short Intro Video Using the Mobile App CONFERENCE ROOM USAGE Upon request, clients may reserve the use of the WWWS conference room for meetings, tastings, blending sessions, or other needs. Please email [email protected] at least two days prior to your intended. Conference room reservations are on a first come, first served basis. Please plan ahead. **During the harvest period, the conference room is available for general use by all clients and may not be reserved** Clients using the conference room are responsible for removing any/all materials associated with their use. Clients utilizing WWWS glassware or blending vessels are responsible for removing those items to the WWWS laboratory, rinsing any soiled items, and depositing them on the counter above the dishwasher.
4 WI-FI ACCESS The WWWS Guest Wi-Fi network is available for client use. The password is available in the conference room or from the front desk. WORK ORDER REQUEST FORMS & SUBMISSIONS To standardize communications and minimize confusion, Walla Walla Wine Services require our clients to utilize a set of standardized work order request forms for all winemaking actions. The most current versions of these blank forms can be found in the work orders folder within each client’s DropBox folder. These forms should be filled out as complete as possible for every desired winemaking action and emailed to [email protected]. **Please limit direct communication with WWWS staff about work orders to follow-ups and clarification only** Winemaking protocols previously provided do not constitute work order requests; they are used only as a reference and for quoting purposes. Work order requests are required for all actions other than routine analysis. Once WWWS has received the work order request form, it will be drafted into a Vintrace work order – normally within 24 hours. Once a Vintrace work order has been sent to the floor it will be in the queue for completion and the work will generally be carried out in the order it was received. Please submit work order requests in advance of the desired date of activity. Expedited services may be requested but these will incur a rush fee of $500.00 per occurrence. **If you have suggestions on how to improve these forms, please let the WWWS team know** BARREL STORAGE TOPPING Barrel topping is scheduled monthly and is performed in alphabetical order based on client name unless an alternative schedule is specified in the contract. Clients should expect their lots to be topped at roughly the same time of the month every month. Clients are required to specify the topping materials to be used in a work order request. It is preferable if multiple lots can be topped with a single source. BREAKDOWN VESSELS Starting in 2023 all clients will be required to supply their own breakdown vessels. Just as clients are responsible for sourcing their own barrels, the expectation is that they will provide kegs or carboys to contain volumes smaller than one barrel. The number of vessels needed will vary by client and topping strategy. If each lot will be self-topped, then many breakdown vessels will be needed vs. common or single source topping. Please plan accordingly. ANALYSIS All lots in storage at WWWS are sampled and analyzed for Free SO2 and Volatile Acidity (expressed as Acetic Acid) every other month unless an alternative schedule is specified in the contract. Sampling and analysis are performed automatically in alphabetical order based on client name at roughly the same time of the month, every other month. Samples are pulled at the time of topping and results should be available in Vintrace within a week of topping. Work order requests are required for any analysis beyond FSO2 and VA.
5 ADDITIONS SO2 additions are made concurrent with topping the month following analysis and the rate of addition must be specified by the client in a work order request. Work order requests must be submitted for any additions (SO2 or other) and should be submitted the week prior to the scheduled monthly topping. PAST TERM STORAGE When planning your bottlings, please keep in mind that any wine remaining at the end of the contract term must be removed or a new agreement for additional storage or bottling must be made. Any wine remaining at WWWS beyond the contract term will be subject to storage fees as set forth in the current Fee Schedule and may remain at WWWS at the sole discretion of the winery. SAMPLE REQUESTS Per the current contract, by request, Client product samples will be pulled at Client’s expense upon Client providing Winery with 24-hour advance written notice. Current sampling charges are $8.00 per sample for 750ml or $5 per sample for smaller volumes. If samples are shipped, Client will be billed for shipping charges plus a 15% materials and handling fee. Client shall not pull samples or open barrels or tanks without prior Winery approval. DIPS, GAUGING & LOSSES It is understood that losses occur as a normal part of winemaking (see contract section 10). Please keep in mind that any reported volume changes are only as accurate as the information that they are based on. It can be difficult to accurately measure the exact dry volume of tanks. Even a ¼ inch variance in the measurement can mean a difference of +/- 15 gallons in some of our tanks. This measurement challenge is further complicated in our rectangular tanks as they do not have regular parallel sides (they bulge), and the dip charts for those tanks are not very accurate. Barrels are not all exactly 59.4 or 60.2 gallons and over a large lot, that variance can add up. During bottling, we do our best to control the fill height to the desired volume, but even a few milliliters +/- will result in the appearance of a larger loss (or gain) than expected. SHIPPING & RECEIVING To ensure compliance with TTB and LCB regulations and to maintain accurate inventories, all items entering or leaving WWWS need to have the correct documentation. Please ensure that all deliveries are scheduled in advance and that Bills of Lading (BOLs) are provided for any materials being shipped to WWWS. Any items (wine, dry goods, packaged goods, etc.) that are leaving WWWS, whether via freight carrier or in a client vehicle, need to have a BOL issued from WWWS. Please use the appropriate work order request form to notify WWWS of departing items. Bottles/cases removed at the time of bottling need to be accounted for, and while no form is necessary for this, a BOL must still be generated. Dock hours are 8am to 3pm Monday through Friday, first come first served.
6 HARVEST CONSIDERATIONS Harvest is a busy and complex time, please help minimize confusion by adhering to the following guidelines. FRUIT DELIVERY REQUESTS All fruit delivery requests must be made using the Fruit Delivery Request Form (in DropBox) and must be received a minimum of 72 hours in advance of fruit arrival. There is no fruit receival on Sundays. Please indicate the specific winemaking program or protocol for each lot of fruit to ensure correct invoice pricing. A fruit processing work order request form must accompany every fruit delivery request. Please plan and schedule your fruit deliveries as far in advance as you can to ensure that capacity is available when you need it. Unplanned deliveries may be rejected. LABELING OF GRABE DELIVERY BINS Each individual bin of grapes delivered to WWWS should be clearly marked in the vineyard prior to arrival at WWWS with the client name, vineyard source, varietal, and any necessary block information. FRUIT PROCESSING Every effort will be made to process fruit the same day it is delivered if it arrives before 4pm. The processing of any fruit arriving after 4pm may be delayed until the following day. Only in exceptional circumstances will fruit be held over more than one day. TONNAGE OVERAGE The current contract allows for up to 10% overage to be delivered. Any tonnage in excess of 110% of the expected tonnage may be accepted at the sole discretion of WWWS. BOTTLING CONSIDERATIONS The logistics surrounding bottling can be challenging with long lead-times for packaging materials, please plan ahead to help ensure that your bottling runs are as smooth as possible. SCHEDULING Custom Crush clients will have first access to schedule their bottlings for the coming season. Custom Crush Clients should expect to receive an email in early October opening the season for reservations. Starting on December 1st, the bottling schedule will open to all clients. No bottling activities will take place without a fully executed contract in place, so please plan ahead. The WWWS bottling season runs from mid-December through mid-August. Currently there is no bottling activity during the harvest period. Should any scheduled bottling be canceled for any reason with less than 2 weeks’ notice, a cancelation fee of 50% of the expected cost of the canceled bottling up to $3500 may be incurred. All wine volume in-house must be bottled by the end of the storage period called out in the contract to avoid additional storage fees.
7 PACKAGING MATERIALS Clients are responsible for sourcing and delivering all needed packaging materials to WWWS ahead of any scheduled bottling. Materials may be received as much as 15 days prior without any additional storage charges. Please contact WWWS to coordinate deliveries. Plan on removing any leftover packaging materials after your bottling runs as these materials are permitted to remain at WWWS at Winery’s sole discretion, subject to storage space availability. Storage costs will be incurred per the Fee Schedule. Please see section 9 and Exhibit A of the contract for full details. At the end of each bottling run an inventory of the remaining dry goods will be taken, communicated, and stored in the Client’s Dropbox folder. The detailed inventory of any materials remaining at WWWS is the sole responsibility of the client. SHIPPING Payment for services is due prior to the shipment of any finished product, so please plan accordingly. WWWS only ships “bond-to-bond” and does not pay excise tax for any client. Please provide the needed BOLs for any “dock-bump” type transfers. Additionally, WWWS only ships full pallet quantities – we do not break pallets for clients or provide any similar fulfillment type actions. Any “library” cases or “first off, last off” cases retained by the client must be accounted for and require a BOL from WWWS at the time of their removal. IMPORTANT DECISION, CONTRACT, & DEPOSIT DATES 2/1 Current CC clients can reserve capacity for coming harvest, tonnage estimates required for calculation of placeholder deposit 3/1 Placeholder deposits for returning CC client are due, last call for CC early sign-up 3/15 All unclaimed/available CC capacity opens to new clients 6/1 Final expected tonnages are due along with final winemaking protocols. CC contracts must be finalized this month 6/15 Last call for CC (if any capacity available) 8/1 CC contracts must be fully executed, and Harvest deposits are due; Yeast selection requests are due; Incoming barrel information is due; Vineyard lot information is due 8/18 Bottling season ends 10/1 Bottling calendar opens to CC clients for coming bottling season 12/1 Bottling calendar opens to all new and returning bottling clients 12/15 Bottling season begins
8 CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE Listed below are the fees for additional services. These fees will apply to any services requested that are not covered in the current contract. ITEM PRICE UNIT HARVEST Additional Crush & Fermentation Fees Additional pump-overs, stirring, punch-down, etc. $60.00 /hour Additional days on skins (<3 weeks) $60.00 /ton/day Additional Press cuts $50.00 /ton/cut Forklift services $95.00 /hour WINE PROCESSING Bulk wine/juice movements (blend, rack, ship, receive) Set-up tank $280.00 /movement Set-up barrel $385.00 /movement “Crush & Go” service $150.00 /ton “Press & Go” service $250.00 /ton Tank to tank transfer $0.10 /gallon Barrel movements (in and out) $0.30 /gallon Expedited services “rush fee” $500.00 /occurrence Third-party contractor services $500.00 /set-up fee FILTRATION Crossflow filtration Set-up fee $100.00 /lot Additional cleaning fee (for difficult to filter lots) $100.00 /cleaning Gallon fee $0.25 /gallon STABILIZATION Heat stability – price includes bentonite Set-up fee $100.00 /lot Gallon fee $0.50 /gallon Cold Stabilization ***the charges outline below include the chilling of the wine to >30°F, adding cream of tartar, and holding at this temperature until the wine is tartrate stable Set-up fee $100.00 /lot BARREL STORAGE & MAINTENANCE Full ***price includes monthly analysis, inventory, topping and SO2 additions $9.00 /barrel/month Empty ***price includes SO2 gassing every 4 weeks $7.00 /barrel/month BARREL MAINTENACE Receiving full or empty barrels with racks $5.00 /barrel Shipping full or empty barrels with racks $5.00 /barrel Extra topping, stirring or SO2 (>monthly) $5.00 /barrel Extra labor (client requests) $60.00 /hour Forklift services $95.00 /hour
9 TANK STORAGE ***Storage is prorated bi-monthly, the 15th and the last day of the month and invoiced at the end of the month Stainless Bulk Storage Monthly lot fee (December – August) $100.00 /month Monthly lot fee (September – November) $200.00 /month December – August storage $0.45 /gal/month September – November storage (by arrangement only) ***price includes monthly analysis, inventory, SO2 additions weekly gassing $2.75 /gal/month TRANSPORTATION Flat bed and box truck $150.00 /hour+$1/mile 1,600 tanker truck (4X400G compartments) $200.00 /hour+$1/mile BOTTLING Case labeling by hand $55.00 /hour Cancellation fee ***if >2 weeks notice 50% up to $3500 /occurrence COMPLIANCE Trade name additions $250.00 /addition Label approvals $150.00 /application STORAGE *** Storage is prorated twice monthly, the 15th and the last day of the month Short-term cased goods storage – temperature controlled (55°F) $0.30 /case/month Dry goods storage $50.00 /pallet/month **Winery reserves the right to change the fee schedule at any time. Winery will make reasonable efforts to provide Client with prior notice of any changes to fee schedule, but such changes shall not require Client consent**