How To Start A Winery in California

Want to start a winery? With over 500 California wineries, 560 million gallons of wine are produced per year. As a result, there is an estimated $19 billion in retail value, and the numbers keep growing. Wine is very popular and with such high revenue, many people start looking into opening up a winery. The truth is, opening a winery is more difficult than one might think. Once you start thinking about this business opportunity, you have to consider the multiple steps that come along with doing so. These steps and regulations vary from state to state, but today we will talk about what is needed in order to open up a winery in the state of California. 

Getting Started

So you have decided that you want to open up a winery; what’s next? Well the first thing to consider is that it can be a complicated process, but know that it will all be worth it once you have your winery up and running. Here or some other things to consider:

Being Passionate

Although the numbers sound great, the work that goes into a winery requires a lot of passion for your business. The love for wine needs to be your motivation in order to see your winery through. Money is simply not enough when it comes to starting a winery and keeping it running. Most businesses do not see profit in the first five years! You must ask yourself if you have enough passion for this business to see it through even when times get hard. 

Land and Machinery

You have the passion, now you need land. Having land is the next big thing that is necessary because you need land to grow your grapes for your wine. This is costly, which can often keep owners from not starting their business. 

Once you have your land you have to have equipment to upkeep it in order to produce a good crop and therefore good wine. Such things include irrigation systems, structured vine posts, trellises, fences and more. 

More equipment is needed when the crop has yielded its fruit. For wine production from grapes, equipment such as wine presses, crushers, tanks, barrels, etc. are needed.

Getting Licensed 

Obtaining a liquor license for your winery is crucial and getting the right permits and licenses is key to being able to open your winery. It can be overwhelming getting the right license for your business, but you can check with your local government to find out the appropriate license for your winery. A good rule of thumb to know is that you can legally produce 100 gallons per person and up to 200 gallons per household. You need to establish yourself as a business with its required licensing first and then proceed to obtaining the required licensing to open up as a winery. 

Closing Statement 

Once you have all your licenses and permits for your winery, you need to set up and run your business in a way that sets you apart from the rest of the wineries in California. This can be seen as finding a flavor that is unique to your winery. More importantly, allow others to taste it through wine tastings. This will help your business receive feedback and you as a business owner can take further steps to improve customer satisfaction. 

As you begin your journey into opening up your winery, feel free to give us a call, and we will be sure to help assist you with any questions or help you with your process of obtaining a liquor license for your winery. Here at Liquor License Network, we love to help our clients reach their goals and assist them through a very complicated process that is obtaining liquor licenses and permits. Give us a call at (800)735-9073 or contact us.