Cory Waller

Winemaker & Winery Operations Advisor

Waller Wine Consulting provides practical, hands-on support for wineries navigating production, operational, financial, and strategic challenges. Drawing on more than 24 years of experience in winemaking and winery operations, I work with owners and leadership teams to improve production systems, control costs, plan for growth, protect wine quality, and make better-informed business decisions.

My approach is grounded in firsthand experience across the wine industry—from vineyard and cellar work to winemaking, production management, winery development, and executive leadership. Having worked across a range of winery sizes, regions, and production models, I understand how decisions made in the vineyard and cellar ultimately affect staffing, inventory, capital needs, profitability, brand positioning, and the long-term health of the business.

Professional Journey

I learned winemaking from the ground up, working in cellars and vineyards while studying chemistry, organic chemistry, microbiology, and viticulture. That combination of practical experience and technical study shaped an approach I still bring to my work today: understand the science, but stay grounded in what actually works in the vineyard and winery.

Over the next two decades, I worked across respected wineries in California, Oregon, and New Zealand, gaining experience with different scales, regions, and winemaking philosophies. My work has spanned premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sparkling wine, organic and biodynamic farming, vineyard development, cellar operations, production management, and winery leadership.

In 2016, I joined Eden Rift Vineyards as founding Winemaker, overseeing winemaking and production during my tenure. Wines produced during that period received multiple scores of 95–97 points from leading critics, and Eden Rift was named a Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery in 2022 and 2023.

Today, more than two decades of experience across vineyards, cellars, winemaking, production management, and winery leadership form the foundation of Waller Wine Consulting. I bring that firsthand operational perspective to helping owners and leadership teams evaluate challenges, improve systems, and make informed decisions about their wineries.

Winery Experience

CALIFORNIA
Eden Rift Vineyards
Calera Wine Company
Etude Wines
Stags’ Leap Winery
Chalone Vineyard
E16 Winery
Jayse

OREGON
Soter Vineyards
Bergström Wines
J.K. Carriere

NEW ZEALAND
Neudorf Vineyards
Martinborough Vineyard

Core Expertise

My experience spans the full winery operation—from vineyard and production decisions to financial planning, organizational leadership, and long-term winery development.

• Winery Operations & Production — Production planning, cellar management, workflow development, SOPs, staffing, safety, quality control, and operational systems.

• Winemaking & Quality — Winemaking strategy, fermentation and aging programs, blending, laboratory systems, sensory evaluation, and quality assurance.

• Vineyard Planning & Development — Site and vineyard evaluation, planting decisions, varietal and rootstock selection, irrigation planning, forecasting, and grower coordination.

• Financial & Operational Planning — Budgeting, production costing, purchasing, inventory management, vendor strategy, capital planning, and cost control.

• Strategic Planning & Winery Development — Production forecasting, facility and equipment planning, operational scaling, and aligning winery capabilities with business objectives.

• Brand & Market Development — Portfolio strategy, product positioning, packaging guidance, trade engagement, and domestic and international market development.

• Winery Transitions & Advisory — Operational assessment, due diligence support, continuity planning, asset evaluation, and guidance through ownership or leadership transitions.

Education

I hold a Master of Science in Entertainment Business, which strengthens my ability to align winemaking decisions with sound financial strategy, brand development, and long-term business objectives. I also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, providing a cultural and human-centered lens that informs how I approach vineyards, teams, and the wines themselves.