Wine & Cider Production Consulting
30+ Years Turning
Raw Fruit Into
Award-Winning Product
Hands-on production consulting for wineries, cideries, and beverage startups across 15+ countries. From lab bench to bottling line, 500-case artisan runs to 20-million-liter operations — on-site or remote.
What We Do
From Orchard to Glass —
Every Step Covered
Whether you're launching a new cidery, scaling production, or solving a fermentation problem at 2 AM — I bring operator-level expertise to every engagement. On-site or remote, short-term or ongoing.
Production Services
Full-cycle winemaking and cidermaking support — from crush to bottle. Fermentation management, filtration, blending, stabilization, and packaging oversight. Available on-site at your facility or managed remotely.
Product Formulation
Recipe development for wines, ciders, meads, fruit wines, and specialty beverages. Includes bench trials, sensory evaluation, and scaling protocols. From traditional styles to innovative new categories.
Lab Analysis
Comprehensive analytical services including Brix, pH, TA, SO₂, turbidity (NTU), alcohol, and residual sugar testing. Quality control protocols and troubleshooting for fermentation issues.
Winery & Cidery Setup
End-to-end guidance for new operations: facility design, equipment selection, licensing and excise compliance, production workflow planning, and regulatory navigation across jurisdictions.
Business Development
Strategic consulting for growth — brand positioning, product line expansion, distribution strategy, B2B partnerships, and market entry planning for domestic and international markets.
General Consulting
Flexible advisory engagements covering any aspect of beverage production and operations. Staff training, process optimization, troubleshooting, and ongoing technical support — on-site or remote.
Flexible delivery: All services available on-site at your facility, remotely via video and file sharing, or as a hybrid engagement. Short-term project work and ongoing retainer arrangements available.
About Dominic Rivard
An Operator Who Consults —
Not a Consultant Who Theorizes
The spark began in 1988 — experimenting at 17 with wines made from fruits, dandelions, Concord grapes, and rhubarb. What started as youthful curiosity quickly evolved into serious dedication. By 1990, I'd qualified as a sommelier with the Ontario Guild, and by 1997 I held the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma with distinctions.
I've been making wine and cider commercially since the late 1990s — not advising from the sidelines, but running production floors, managing fermentations at scale, and solving problems in real time. From transforming The Fort Wine Company into Canada's largest and most awarded fruit winery (25,000 cases/yr) to overseeing 20 million liters annually at Tonghua Grape Winery in China — my consulting comes from decades of doing the work first.
While many winemakers focus exclusively on grapes, I've distinguished myself through pioneering work with fruit wines, ciders, and meads. I've perfected cryo-extraction techniques for iced fruit wines, developed tropical fruit wines from mangosteen and passion fruit in Thailand, and created innovative grape-fruit blends with Spanish and Chilean bodegas. Each project reflects a belief that winemaking should balance tradition with fearless innovation.
As a founding director of the Fruit Wines of Canada Association, published author, international competition judge (Indy International Wine Competition), and speaker at institutions like Purdue University and Ohio State, I've helped shape the industry — not just participate in it. I've launched the first fruit wineries in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, significantly diversifying Canada's beverage landscape.
"Great wine and cider begins with understanding what the land wants to give you. My job is to translate those natural gifts into something that brings pleasure and tells a story about where it came from."
Credentials & Milestones
Philosophy
Whether working with grapes, apples, berries, or tropical fruits, I approach each project with respect for local traditions while applying rigorous technical standards. The goal is always products that are not only exceptional but also responsible — emphasizing organic practices and sustainability wherever possible.
Published Work
Industry Reference Books
Two comprehensive guides used by professionals, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide — covering the full spectrum of fruit wine and cider production from bench to business.
Both books draw directly from decades of hands-on commercial production experience — not academic theory. They're written for people who are building real businesses and making real product, whether at 500 cases or 500,000 liters.
Global Experience & Client Portfolio
Proven Across Continents
and Production Scales
From 500-case artisan operations to 20-million-liter industrial facilities — I've worked at every scale, in every climate, with every fruit imaginable. Explore the regions below to see specific projects and partnerships.
50+
Client Projects
15+
Countries
30+
Years Experience
20M+
Liters Produced
Technical Specialties
Production techniques and product categories I work with regularly