anyone tried going commercial?

[Paulc]

My day dreams at work have begun to swirl around starting up my own winery that someday would at least pay for itself...

Anyone here try it? How much background did you have before making the switch?

Any thoughts on the legalities/costs of getting thru the red tape to legally call your operation a "winery"?

TIA, paulc

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

That thought has crossed my mind also. Looking forward to the responses.....

 

[Wade E]

There are a few of us that went pro. Me not being one of them, yo need land to do it and I dont have that!

 

[Runningwolf]

I think a lot of us think/dream about it in the back of our heads. If not a winery mybe a wine/beer supply shop.

 

[Tom]

no way! way to expensive here in NJ

 

[twistedvine]

We have a nearby "winery" that produces and sells wine from kits. The bottles sell for anywhere from $12-$18 a bottle. They have been in business for about 4 years and must be doing well. They just purchased the building that they were renting and completely remodeled. They sell a lot of supplies however they are overpriced (I can drive 20 minutes and be at NorthernBrewer). They also offer a service that they call Uvin, where you can produce your own batch of wine (kit) using their equipment and they will help you throughout the process. They seem to be doing this alot and the charge anywhere from $200-$300 depending on the kit selected. They are always busy with couples getting married that want to make their own wine for their weddings. Not sure what they had to do to get any licensing. They gave me a tour a couple years back and they have a pretty nice setup.

 

[grapeman]

I have gone commercial over the last year as it takes a lot of time to collect, fill out, submit, correct, resubmit and finally get approval from local, Federal and State agencies. I am the poster child for a shoestring budget. I will post more at a later time as I'm in a hotel room in Saratoga tonight.

 

[Wade E]

I had looked into selling my wine here and they stated that I had to grow a certain amount of the fruit on my own land to get a winery permit. Maybe if I count my Currants and Dandelions I may just make that amount, mainly Dandelions!!!

 

[AlFulchino]

i have seen wineries that literally operate out of a house....as in you drive to the winery house..go in the front door thru the living room and down the stairs to the basement...and there is the tasting room..have also heard of other similar sites

look into local approval first....the feds are on your side...we got licensed by the feds in exactly sixty days...the state is also very helpful up here and went by the fed approval and also in terms of state friendlieness i can say they have been great

first and foremost...dont consider a winery unless you make one good wine that is repeatable...if you can do that then do the simple math in terms of whatever you have to do.....

let me get back to the wine part of things...i know first hand that many here make better wines than can usually be bought at stores because they have sent me some of their wines....if you can make wine and people like it...i mean really like it ( because the novelty part of people knowing some family member, some friend or local guy who makes wine WILL wear off fast)..then you can sell it...and you yourself BETTER like it because it represents you....

back to the becoming a winery part of this.....if you have any other hobbies that cost any money..if you spend money on cigars...cigarettes etc etc...channel the money to becoming a winery if that is what you are seeking to do....channel it towards the paperwork....this can be accomplished with money or with little to no money ( trust me on this)...if your belief in yourself is really strong then it trumps money...*every time*

the money can come in terms of sales and then incremental sales.....if you can make six gallons w the basic equipment then your effort is repeatable...pour the small profits into a few key pieces of equipment and go from there

too overly simplistic?

the answer is indeed i readily admit...yes

and that is the beauty of it all

and remember this..even well funded operations fail...routinely...what does that tell you? it should tell you that its not money that is key..its the wine and a few common sense business practices

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

Another thing to consider is this: Most of us, if not all, make wine because we enjoy it as a hobby. If one were to go commercial, it becomes "work" and may be less enjoyable. Just something to ponder,....

 

[roblloyd]

Another thing to consider is this: Most of us, if not all, make wine because we enjoy it as a hobby. If one were to go commercial, it becomes "work" and may be less enjoyable. Just something to ponder,....

I agree with that! I don't think there is a "perfect" job. I think everyone should be doing something they like doing. You can probably take all the fun out of something if you are now forced to do it. There some exceptions like Chamard Winery in Clinton, CT. I believe the owner is the CEO of Tiffany's so he's got the bucks to backup the winery. I'm guessing he doesn't do much of the "work".

I guess it all depends on the size operation you want to do. I think if you had a few people/partners it would be a lot more fun - everyone having a part they enjoy - growing, marketing, production, accounting etc it would be close to perfect most of the time.

Selling kit wine sounds like an easy way to go if you can make it work. Repeatability is much easier too.

 

[bob1]

I visited with these folks http://www.2bseen.com/chateauross/

They were very nice. Told me if I wanted grapes to make wine to come on up and help pick for a day. It looks like he trades wine for help bottling also. But they work out of their house. He converted his whole basement over into a huge cellar, tasting room and of course all his fermenters are stacked down there.