Anyone who has always wanted to start a winery needs to do a lot
of research prior to taking that big step. If the money is available,
whether it is from investors or personal money or even grants, the
person considering the venture needs to make certain that the numbers
balance out. No one wants to invest in a proposition that is going to
lose money.
Owning a winery is not easy. There is no such thing as
"immediate return on the money" in a winery. The perfect land must be
found prior to making any other plans. While looking at land the buyer
has to consider the condition of the soil and research the grapes that
will be planted there to see if they will grow and thrive in that type
of soil. Altitude, soil type, and temperatures should be investigated. A
new winery owner should know what sort of pests might attack the grapes
in the vineyard and how to kill them. Is there sufficient water for a
new winery in this area? Water quality and rainfall should be tested
prior to purchasing the property. You should also know if there are
other small wineries in the area and visit them to see what sorts of
problems they might have had.
Then, the potential buyer should
check with other area land owners to see if there would be any
possibility of expanding the winery at a later time if the venture were a
success. If not, then he/she should check to see if there was a
potential for area land to be leased later on for planting more grapes
or if area farmers would be willing to assist with growing specific
grapes at a later time.
A lot of research is required to find out
if a winery will be productive and if it will be financially successful.
A person who wants to start a winery needs to know all there is to know
about grapes before he/she even decides where it is to be. He/she must
know how the varieties differ and understand the skin colors and what
they mean to the flavor of the grape. Then he/she needs to learn about
the thickness of the skins and the size of the grapes and how they
ripen. While studying these variables, it is important to consider why
some types of grapes perform so well in certain places and which sort of
variety grows best in which type of soil. If this isn't enough to
totally confuse the person, he/she needs to decide which type of wine
will be made from the grape planted.
A person who wishes to start a
winery should also consider if there are grants to assist in financing
the winery. Some areas might actually be willing to make a small
business loan to the owner of a new winery just to be able to bring new
business into the areas. New wineries also bring in many visitors who
want to find a good new label wine.
Starting a winery involves
purchasing things like fermentation tanks, barrels, storage tanks,
crushers, steamers, and machinery like tractors. A new owner will want
to hire people who are knowledgeable about all areas of wine growth and
production. It will also be necessary to know where to get the cuttings
and new vines that will become the special wine to be produced.
Some
people decide to purchase wineries that are already in operation in
order to have personnel already at work that know the grapes, the soil
and the processes. Sometimes this is a good move but for the person
whose dream is to start his/her own winery the process is a long and
detailed one.
Some people begin by learning the history of grape
growing and wineries in the area in which they wish to locate the
winery. If the winery is to be in a well known wine making area of a
particular country, the person should learn the history of the area and
of the wine made there. The very first grape grown in the "New World" is
still in existence and bearing grapes.
It was first noticed by Sir
Walter Raleigh's passengers who found the massive prolific vine on
Roanoke Island, N.C. It is known as the Mother Vine and is thought to be
about 400 years old. The vine was an indication that the Native
Americans actually cultivated the white grape to make wine. If a person
were to decide to begin a winery in North Carolina, cultivating the
Mother Vine grape and making a version of that historical wine would be
one of the best marketing ideas the owner could have and would create an
instant interest in the winery from the very beginning. Maybe it was
good grape juice or wine that got the people through those cold winters
of the 1600's.
A new winery will need people to take care of the
day-to-day operations of the business as well as the plants. People will
have to be hired to plant the vines and to pick the grapes. Then
someone will have to be in charge of making the wine. No one person can
do it all but a person with a life long desire to own a winery should be
prepared to do as much as possible on his/her own to learn the business
from the "soil up".
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