For Dave Robinson, wine is not only a passion, but a way of life.

A wine aficionado for some time, he has come to Lompoc to partake in the wine industry through a shipping and packaging business called Vintegrated Solutions.

In a business that he owned in Los Angeles, which specialized in warehouse logistics, Robinson shipped everything from skin care products to items imported from Taiwan and Singapore.

He decided that as a wine enthusiast, he should devote his effort specifically to wine. His business includes a Web site that offers marketing and logistics support to the Santa Barbara County wine market.

In addition to a Web site his business maintains, he also specializes in e-mail campaigns and wine club management.

&#8220We started the business in L.A.,C Robinson said of Vintegrated Solutions, which he co-owns with Karen Steinwachs. &#8220We decided we could do our own warehouse space and do our own shipping. … I decided I should move up here to do business.C

Robinson moved to Santa Ynez and has been at a new warehouse, 315 North E St., in Lompoc, for the past year.

&#8220The winery will bottle the wine and then we move the wine out of the warehouse,C he said. &#8220We sell to distributors. People also have Web site and telephone sales, or faxes 7 however is most convenient.C

He said many individual buyers go online to Web sites for the winery of their choice and purchase wine there. About 90 percent of the sales are completed online or by e-mail; the remaining 10 percent are done by telephone or fax.

Robinson said the focus of his business is Web site shipping sales, and all business is done by word-of-mouth, with no advertising. Nonetheless, business has been quite heavy from individual customers and distributors.

&#8220We do the best in the time we have,C he said. &#8220Most of the business is about trying not to go crazy. It/s a full-time job keeping up with everything.C

Robinson is even looking at adding a second building to his business due to the overwhelming demand. He said that about five years ago there were about 70 wineries in Santa Barbara County. Now, there are about 120 wineries and Robinson said he expects the industry to continue growing.

His numbers are his estimations after viewing statistics at the Santa Barbara County Vintners/ Association Web site.

He said many new vineyards are being planted along Santa Rosa Road.

The weather in Lompoc is ideal for wine growing and helps keep wine at the right temperature during production, he said.

&#8220We have pallets of wine going out to distributors every two to three weeks,C Robinson said. &#8220These go to places like L.A. and San Francisco.C

He added that these larger shipments usually are about 15 to 25 cases in size. During shipments, Robinson usually completes about 50 to 100 orders per day.

On Mondays through Wednesdays, Robinson said, he completes even more orders for individual buyers, who buy smaller amounts of one bottle of wine or more.

Robinson also ships to wine clubs throughout the nation, which usually order one to six bottles at a time. Most often, wine clubs order about three individual wines, but shipments can sometimes reach one case in size. Wine production stops during the summer, but in the first shipment of this season, Robinson said, he shipped to about 300 buyers.

&#8220It/s pretty much all over the country, because everybody wants wine from Santa Barbara County.C

The co-owner loves having the chance to focus his businesses specifically on wine.

&#8220Obviously, it/s a business, but both of us are passionate about Santa Barbara wine,C Robinson said of himself and Steinwachs. &#8220To combine my passion for wine with my work and get paid for it is very cool.C

The owner displayed his wine packaging procedure, which utilizes cardboard, which is better for the environment than Styrofoam. Wineries can present the wine with padding that gives the wine what Robinson calls a &#8220rustic feel.C

Currently, Robinson has about 1,000 cases in his warehouse, but he looking to expand as the he feels the demand is even more than that. He hopes to open a second warehouse by the airport as soon as next month.

Robinson added that working in Lompoc has been a business-friendly experience for him and that he expects the Vintners/ Festival, if it returns to Lompoc next year as planned, to only add to the success of his business.

In response to the success of his business as a public relations tool, Robinson said that he was proud to be a sponsor at the Vintners/ Festival in Lompoc earlier this year.

&#8220People are used to seeing it in Styrofoam packaging,C he said of the wine shipments. &#8220They get it like this and they think it looks great. It doesn/t cost anything, but it looks fantastic.C

Ryan McMaster can be reached at 737-1057 or rmcmaster@santamariatimes.com.

September 18, 2007