Imagine crafting your own wines via a process that allows you to choose your prestigious vineyard site, dictate your taste preference, sort and crush your grapes, blend varietals, and design your own label. At The Wine Foundry, in the heart of the Napa Valley, this scenario becomes reality for both the novice or the expert winemaker. A full-service wine producer that excels in custom winemaking, The Wine Foundry has earned a reputation as a luxury brand incubator, offering a range of bespoke services for those seeking to craft personalized, top-tier wines for individuals, groups, companies, and non-profit organizations. At The Wine Foundry, you are the winemaker.
Founded in 2012 by Philip and Valerie Von Burg, The Wine Foundry represents a dream realized. Valerie, a California native, and Philip, originally from New York City, transitioned from careers in law and business when they acquired the assets and wine inventory of a former Napa Valley winery. With their combined experience, and the guidance of key staff members such as esteemed winemaker Patrick Saboe, they embarked on a unique path that has proven irresistible to wine lovers nationwide.
“We don’t know of any competitors who make custom wines for clients on the level that we provide, or who provide our depth of experience, or the depth of quality vineyard options,” says Valerie. “The hallmark of our service starts with quality fruit: we feature over 20 top-tier vineyard sources and a wide range of varietals. We maintain long-term relationships with sought-after vineyard properties, and we are always screening new properties to add to our portfolio. For instance, for the 2024 vintage, we added Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir and Durell Vineyard Chardonnay. Our clients also have a lot of influence on the style of their wines, particularly when it comes to creating the final blend with our winemaker. Here again, the depth of our vineyard sources shows up at the blending table with a range of quality blending components. Our custom label and packaging design services are also unique in the custom barrel space as far as we know. Our commercial incubator program for barrel clients is also a unique offering, and we aren’t aware of any comparable programs.”
At the helm of The Wine Foundry’s winemaking operations is Saboe. A graduate of the University of California, Davis’ Enology & Viticulture program and a highly experienced winemaker, he plays an integral role in all aspects of production. His career began as a harvest enologist at Hanna Winery, followed by a role as assistant winemaker at Keller Estate. He later became the winemaker and vineyard manager for Petroni Vineyards and served as consulting winemaker for Verismo Wines before joining The Wine Foundry at its inception. Saboe’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in one core principle: create exceptional wines from exceptional fruit, with exceptional care. He works closely with the many growers who partner with The Wine Foundry to ensure the highest quality from vineyard to bottle.
For those looking for a complete winemaking experience from start to finish, here’s how it works:
Choose a Vineyard:
The first step is selecting your ideal vineyard. The Wine Foundry offers extensive and distinguished vineyard options such as Stagecoach, A2, Trailside and the famed Durell Vineyard, a grower of prestigious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. You can sample wines made from the vineyards you’re considering or work with the team to discuss your preferred wine style, and they will help select the best vineyard to match your vision. And of course you choose the grape variety you want to work with. The Wine Foundry has 18 different varietals available from vineyard partners, ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon to Zinfandel.
Craft a Plan:
Every wine begins with a series of decisions that shape its flavor, structure, and aromas. You will work closely with the winemaking team to develop a plan that aligns with your taste preferences. The team will guide you through each step, from vineyard and varietal selection to the finer details, such as choosing corks and capsules.
Monitor the Vineyard:
Throughout the growing season, The Wine Foundry keeps clients informed with weather updates, vineyard photos, and interviews with the growers. This ensures you stay connected to the development of the vintage, giving you insights into the progress of the grapes as harvest approaches. You’ll also receive estimates on when your grapes will be ready for picking.
Create the Wine:
Once harvest is complete, you’re welcome to participate in the winemaking process, including sorting, crushing, fermenting, and pressing the grapes. If you can’t be there in person, the winemaking team will manage the entire process according to your specifications, ensuring every step is aligned with your vision.
Design the Packaging:
After committing to the winemaking process, clients receive a Packaging Guide that walks them through the design options for their bottles. This guide helps you work with The Wine Foundry’s design team to choose the right bottle shape, cork, capsule, and label. Whether you prefer a simple design or wish to incorporate embossed labels, custom corks, or even etched bottles, the team will help bring your vision to life.
Blending:
To enhance the depth and complexity of your wine, The Wine Foundry crafts additional wine each year, which can be used in blending to perfect your final product. As bottling approaches, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in blending trials, adjusting the wine’s aromatics, texture, and balance. This process, often considered the highlight of the experience, allows you to create a unique wine that truly represents your signature style.
“We don’t know of any competitors who make custom wines for clients on the level that we provide, or who provide our depth of experience, or the depth of quality vineyard options.” Valerie Von Burg
Through every step of the process, The Wine Foundry ensures that clients are fully involved in the creation of their wine, making the experience not only educational but also deeply personal and rewarding.
“I’ve been making wine with The Wine Foundry for over a decade,” says commercial client Phil Gurin, Proprietor and Winemaker, The Gurin Wines. (He started with The Wine Foundry as a private client in the barrel program.) “It is, quite simply, the thing that gives me the most unqualified joy. I have another real “day job” making television, but working with this incredibly talented team helps me realize a passion and a dream. What started as a hobby, then a side hustle, is now taking baby steps towards becoming a unique and profitable boutique wine brand. The entire team has taken me gently by the hand to lead me into the promised land of building a beautiful new business with the most amazing wines. I am continually confident sharing our line up with friends, wine shops, and restaurants as our bottlings stand tall against the competition.”
“Our clients come to the process of making custom wine with various levels of knowledge and experience with wine, from novice to expert, but every client brings curiosity and excitement,” says Valerie. “They have a lot of fun tasting through barrels and selecting the vineyards and varietals they want to work with and learning about the terroir and farming techniques. Once underway, they have the option of tasting their wine as it ages in barrel, which they find fun and illuminating. Then with the blending session, clients enjoy gaining insight into what they prefer in their wines and why as they work with our winemaker through the delightful process of creating the final blend for their wine. Custom labels and packaging put the icing on the cake. Clients complete the process with a sense of pride, and they report great joy in sharing their own wines with family and friends. Our clients often express gratitude for the opportunity to experience winemaking at the highest level with a manageable commitment. People often dream of making their own wine, and we love to help make those dreams come true.”
From vine to bottle, The Wine Foundry offers an unparalleled, hands-on winemaking experience for those seeking to truly understand and shape the winemaking process. Whether it’s choosing a vineyard, blending varietals, or designing a label, The Wine Foundry has crafted a space where both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts can realize their winemaking dream.
Photos courtesy of The Wine Foundry