Santa Rosa custom crush facility lures locals with new brunch

For winemakers without the space, staff or capital for their own wine-production facility, custom-crush studios can be invaluable. They provide the equipment and the space for production, as well as skilled cellar workers to assist winemakers from harvest through bottling.

But what about after the wine is bottled?

Back in 2015, winemakers Joe Reynoso and Ronald Du Preez had worked with numerous custom crush facilities, so they appreciated the value they could provide.

“But one of the things you don’t think about when you’re in the throes of making wine is what it will take to sell that bottle in three to four years,” Du Preez said. “That why Joe and I decided we wanted to be the first to build a custom-crush studio that focused not just on equipment and customer service, but also offered a space for winemakers to host wine tastings, pickup parties and private events.”

In 2016, Reynoso and Du Preez launched Sugarloaf Wine Co., a custom-crush facility, tasting room and event space below Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenwood. While commercial wine production facilities are often found in industrial areas, Reynoso and Du Preez knew that wouldn’t appeal to hospitality guests. So carefully choosing Sugarloaf Wine’s location was critical.

“We wanted the business to be centrally located and close to Highway 101 so it was convenient for winemakers, but we also wanted it to be in a natural setting with beautiful views and space for entertaining,” Du Preez said. “When we found this 15-acre property, we knew this was it.”

Over the last seven years, Sugarloaf Wine Co. has become one of the leading custom-crush facilities in Sonoma County. About 35 wineries produce their wines at the 48,000-square-foot facility, with fruit from 44 appellations across California. Truett-Hurst, VML, Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah and Clarice Wine Co. are among the current clients.

Chefs, like Sean Quan of Second Staff catering, currently rent out the property’s commercial kitchen, while the event space is used for weddings, concerts and public and corporate events.

But while the custom-crush side of the business has been a resounding success, Du Preez admitted Sugarloaf Wine’s hospitality program could use a boost.

“I feel a bit guilty that it’s taken us this long to start focusing on consumer hospitality,” Du Preez said. “But we’re winemakers first and this is a small business, so the success of the crush studio has kept us very busy these last six years. The pandemic didn’t help.”

This August, in an effort to elevate their hospitality programs, the company hired Jordan Fleming to be its first hospitality business manager. In addition to managing events, Fleming oversees Sugarloaf Wine’s collective Wine Lounge tasting room, which currently hosts six local wineries.

In the kid- and pet-friendly space, visitors can buy wines by the glass, flight or bottle and enjoy them in one of the comfortable indoor or outdoor spaces. And there are bocce ball, cornhole and other lawn games to play.

“We really want Sugarloaf to be a gathering place for locals, not just a crush facility for winemakers,” Du Preez said. “I would love to see the tasting room and bocce courts buzzing with locals who are drinking wine and reconnecting with friends and family.”

Du Preez said he also hopes to host more wine-and-food-pairing experiences, like the facility’s new Crush This Brunch offering. The brainchild of Quan, the family-style Sunday brunch features a seasonal array of sweet and savory dishes like Scandinavian-style hash with smoked ham; French toast with roasted sugar; and scrambled eggs with avocado confit crème fraîche and shokupan (Japanese milk bread). A selection of five wines accompany the meal.

The company also just launched a new website (sugarloafwineco.com), which Du Preez hopes will help the community better understand what Sugarloaf Wine Co. is all about.

“We also want to hear from the local community about what kinds of experiences they want to see,” Du Preez said. “We just want them to know how important hospitality is to us.”

For more information about Crush This Brunch ($75 per person) or to make a reservation, visit exploretock.com/sugarloafcrush.

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @whiskymuse.