Visit to Paumanok with Architect Joe Bergin

There was a 100% chance of rain which appeared in the form of a thunder and lightning storm, drenching coastal Connecticut in the early morning hours and I had thoughts of the choppy ferry ride ahead. We met architect Joe Bergin at the New London Ferry Dock to take a trip over to Long Island and thankfully, by this time, the waters were calm and it was smooth sailing all the way.
We were on our way to meet with Charles and Kareem Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards. We are in the very early stages of planning our winery and after visits to many different wineries, we know that we need to plan the space so that it is consistent with the wine making process. On the trip over to Long Island, my husband had a video of one of the private wineries that we visited in Ontario that shows how small a wine making facility can be.

Charles, Gary, Joe and I talked over an excellent cup of Cuban coffee about how to go about planning for a winery space. The first question that Charles asked us was, "What is your horizon?" In his more than 30 years in the business, Charles has seen his operation expand every 10 years. Charles drew a diagram of how his winemaking facility began initially with a 1000 square foot space for the production of 5,000 case of wine. Charles then showed us how outdoor spaces were enclosed and turned into a tasting room with a barrel room underneath. Next, the functionality of the tank room was improved by adding a catwalk so that the pump overs did not have to be done by climbing up a ladder, as Charles had done in the past. This expansion seemed very organic.
Charles' bullet points of what to consider when designing a winery included:

• Harvest receiving area; crush pad
• Processing area
• Tank space
• Barrel aging space
• Bottling and storage area
• Dry good storage
• Retail space

Above all, Charles emphasized modularity in tank sizes because you never want a tank that is not full to capacity because residual air in a tank can often lead to wine spoilage problems. It also seems like modularity in wine making space is key.
Four hours passed in no time at all and we ended the visit to Paumanok with a taste of their 2014 Chenin Blanc and their 2014 Minimalist Chenin Blanc. Charles gave us many good tips and lots to think about.