Wine Analysis at the Winery During the Harvest: The Case of Callaway Winery with CDR WineLab®

During the grape harvest, the value of an analytical result also depends on how quickly it becomes available. A sample sent to an external laboratory may provide an accurate result, but it is not always compatible with the winery’s decision-making timeline: in the meantime, the must may evolve, fermentation may progress, and certain operational decisions may become less timely.

This is the context in which Callaway Vineyard & Winery, a historic winery in California’s Temecula Valley, operates. In the video, winemaker Giovani Verdejo explains how CDR WineLab® has been integrated into the winery’s daily operations, particularly during the harvest. Specifically, he highlights three key aspects of the Callaway experience: the reduced reliance on external laboratories, the speed of analysis, and the value of Gusmer’s support in the United States.

One of the most practical issues highlighted by Giovani Verdejo concerns the reliance on external laboratories. For a winery operating in the Temecula area, sending samples off-site can mean dealing with time constraints, costs, and logistical complexities that aren’t always compatible with the demands of the harvest.

In fact, the nearest external lab to turn to for certain analyses is not logistically convenient. The problem is not merely financial: during the harvest, waiting for results can mean working with data that arrives after the wine or must has already changed.

During stages such as crushing, cold maceration, pumping over, and the evolution of the must during the early stages of fermentation, Giovani explains, analytical data is not a mere formality to be filed away afterward, but rather an essential working tool. Knowing quickly how a must is evolving allows the team to decide whether to intervene, when to intervene, and with what priority.

With CDR WineLab®, Callaway Winery has been able to move a significant portion of its analytical testing directly into the winery. This has allowed the team to obtain useful information the moment it’s needed, without interrupting the workflow or waiting for results from an external laboratory.

In other words, the advantage isn’t just “getting it done faster,” but making the analytical data available while it still has operational value.

The winemaker points out that, with the previous vacuum-based method, analyzing sulfur dioxide (free and total) took about 15 minutes per sample. With CDR WineLab®, however, he says he can perform 16 analyses in about 15 minutes.

This comparison highlights the impact on daily operations. During harvest, when the number of samples can increase rapidly, reducing the time per analysis frees up hours of work and streamlines the decision-making process.

The advantage lies not only in the instrument’s speed but also in the ability to integrate the analysis into the winery’s routine without creating a bottleneck.

In Giovani Verdejo’s account, it becomes clear that CDR WineLab® is an easy-to-use tool capable of making a tangible difference in how analyses are organized in the winery. The winemaker describes it as a very user-friendly tool for performing analytical tests, emphasizing that anyone who knows how to use a pipette can operate the device.

This ease of use, combined with ready-to-use reagent kits, on-screen step-by-step instructions, and immediately readable results, makes analysis more accessible to the team and reduces the risk of errors.

For Callaway Vineyard & Winery, CDR WineLab® was not simply an addition to the methods previously used, but has replaced much of the equipment used for routine analysis, transforming the in-house laboratory into a faster and more integrated part of the daily winemaking process.

In the U.S. market, a key factor in the experience described by Giovani, a winemaker at Callaway Vineyard & Winery, is the support provided by Gusmer Enterprises.

Gusmer Enterprises is the official U.S. distributor for CDR systems designed for the beverage industry, including CDR WineLab®, CDR BeerLab®, CDR CiderLab, CDR KombuchaLab , and CDR DrinkLab®.

In the video, the winemaker shares his experience with technical support and cites it as another reason to recommend CDR WineLab® to other wineries. In particular, he highlights the availability of assistance for updates, supplies, and managing operational needs related to the instrument.

For an American winery, this aspect is crucial. Purchasing an analytical system doesn’t just mean introducing new equipment into the lab—it also means being able to count on a consistent supply, technical support, and knowledgeable local contacts.

Gusmer’s Service with Knowledge®, based on in-house technical expertise, consulting services, and knowledge of beverage industry processes, helps make CDR WineLab® easier to integrate into the daily routines of U.S. wineries.

The Callaway Vineyard & Winery case study demonstrates how in-winery wine analysis can have a direct impact on harvest management and the winemaker’s day-to-day decisions.

Thanks to CDR WineLab®, the winery has been able to reduce its reliance on external laboratories, speed up routine analyses such as sulfur dioxide testing, and integrate analytical monitoring into the production workflow.

Gusmer Enterprises, the U.S. distributor of CDR FOODLAB® instruments for the beverage industry, adds further value: technical assistance, local distribution, and application support make it easier for American wineries to adopt the instrument.

The real advantage, therefore, is not just getting results faster. It’s being able to make decisions based on analytical data that’s available exactly when it’s needed.