viticulture team

First Crush will be employing the talents of the viticulturists from Precision Ag, Inc. to oversee the vineyard selection and harvest operations.  In many cases, the vineyards selected will be those managed or consulting on by Precision Ag. Precision Ag's vineyard management practices include the use of new technology and sound science to produce premium quality wine grapes on the California Central Coast.

The viticulture team includes Lowell Zelinski, Ph.D., Greg Melikian, Ashley Fischer and Emily Nelson. Lowell Zelinski is the chief agronomist and oversees the development and management of vineyard operations. Greg Melikian — who has a bachelor's degree in ag business with a concentration in viticulture — handles day-to-day vineyard operations.  Ashley Fischer takes care of vineyard data collection and Emily Nelson oversees vineyard administration. Precision Ag contracts labor and other vineyard services from local suppliers and labor contractors.