Bristol Who’s Who Recognizes Thomas H. Cottrell

Dr. Thomas H. Cottrell is the Owner, Winemaker and Winery Designer of Wine Doc, a winery consulting firm that specializes in winery design, business plans, equipment specification, operation and winemaking. He also serves as Principal Extension Enologist (Winemaker) at the University of Kentucky. Currently, he assists 68 wineries in winemaking from start to bottling through presentations, meetings, and visitations.

Dr. Cottrell, a native of Ithaca, NY, got started in the wine industry in 1970 in the Napa Valley, founding Cuvaison. Later he co-founded Pine Ridge Winery and started several others as a consultant. He is a veteran of the US Army, and served in the Korea conflict. Possessing a brilliant and diverse mind, he obtained his Bachelor of Engineering Physics from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Solid State Physics from the University of Delaware and received his PhD in Laser Optics from the University of Rochester in New York.

In 1982, Dr. Cottrell became Cornell’s first Associate Professor of Enology, and learned how to make 550 lots of wine in a season. Subsequently, he was the Manager/Winemaker for Chalk Hill Winery in Sonoma County, which he grew from 14,000 cases to 60,000 cases per year and for Sakonnet Vineyards in Rhode Island, which he grew from 12,000 cases to 35,000 cases per year. Returning to his hometown in 1995, Dr. Cottrell continued to consult for wineries and winery start-ups in the Finger Lakes, on Long Island, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and other parts of the East. In 2005, Tom was asked to serve as the Extension Enologist for the University of Kentucky and moved to Lexington to do so. His sales and consulting activities through Wine Doc continue outside of Kentucky.

A member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture since 1970, in that time he has served the Eastern Section as Secretary and as a Director. He has written numerous peer-reviewed articles in American Journal of Enology and Viticulture and Journal of Food Science, and has also been published in Wine Business Monthly and Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine.

Bristol Who’s Who member Thomas H. Cottrell, PhD can be found on the Who’s Who Directory where he is looking forward to networking with you.