Start A Winery
According to the Wine Institute there are currently over 500 California wineries that produce over 560 million gallons of wine per year, and that number is continually growing. This kind of productions can result in an estimated $19 billion retail value. It’s easy to see why one would want to get into the wine business. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds, there are many things that will need to be done in order to start your own winery.
Below we are going to go over a few of the basics that you will need to consider when thinking about starting a winery, some of them my seem obvious and some many not. Bear in mind, that these guidelines are going to help you start a winery in California, each state has a different set of rules, so if you are outside of California you’ll need to check with your local government about your local regulations.
How to Start a Winery
There is a lot that goes into starting a winery and it is no easy task but it can be very rewarding once the process is done. Here are a few things that you should consider when wanting to start a winey.
Be Passionate
There are a plethora of good ideas but few are actually carried through. If you want to start a winery you’ll need to have a passion for wine not just for the money. Most people that start a winery don’t see a profit until their fifth year! This can mean that you are often doing work and not seeing a reward. Passion for wine will drive you to continue when times get hard
Find Land and Machinery When You Start A Winery
An obvious thing will be the need to have some land where you can grow your grapes for the wine making process. This can often be the one thing that will set someone back in the beginning as it can be costly if you don’t already have your own land. Once you have a place to grow your grapes you will need to upkeep the land to keep it ideal for grape growing. This will require irrigation, structured vine posts, trellises, fences, and more. The growing process is an important one because a good crop will result in a good wine.
You’ll also want to acquire some necessary tools to produce wine once the crop has yielded its fruit. The tools often required are; wine presses, crushers, tanks, barrels, etc. These are going to make it possible to take the grapes and produce wine with them. This is as important and finding the right land, the right tools can make the job easier.
Get Licensed
Getting the right liquor license and the right permits for you winery are going to be key. You can legally produce 100 gallons per person, up to 200 gallons, per household. Being that it’s going to be a winery you will need to be established as a business and there are proper licensing that comes with that. Also being that it’s going to be a winery you will need to have the proper liquor license for that as well. You can check with your local government to find out the appropriate licenses that you will need.
Start Growing
Once you being producing fruit you can being experimenting with the kind of wine that you want to produce. This is going to be important as there are a plethora of wineries throughout California and you want to make something that is going to set your apart. Find a flavor profile that is unique and that you feel people are going to want and start producing it and allowing other to taste it. It’s crucial that you have tastings to see if the public is going to be receptive to your wine, if no one likes it then it will have all been for nothing.
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