"Hobby" vineyard. To buy or not to buy?

[shablon]

I'm looking into buying a getaway/occasional airbnb property that has 2.5 acres of 25-35 y.o. grapes of 3 different kinds. I like the house, and I really like the area. The vineyard is the biggest selling point for me. Fell in love with the view from the house and walking through it. At the same time, it's the main concern.

As much as I'd love to learn taking care of it, there's just not enough time, and my main residence is 2.5 hours drive from it. The area is quickly growing new wine country. So, I'd imagine if companies that could take care of it for me exist- they must be present there. Which brings me to a few questions.

1) What would these companies be called? What should I google for?
2) Is there a lot of work (hence cost) in taking care of these 2.5 acres?
3) Would there be any way to recoup some of the caretaking costs by selling my grapes? Who would I sell it to? A lot of licensing in California? Or is my best bet to just charge extra for the airbnb experience?

Thank you!

 

[sour_grapes]

Boy, I cannot help you with your questions. However, I can say "Welcome to WMT," and hope someone else can help.

 

[salcoco]

search for wineries in the area. maybe you can work a agreement that the winery would take care of vineyard fore a healthy share of the grapes. kinda of a share cropper.

 

[shablon]

Great idea! There's a couple right next door. Thanks!

 

[NorCal]

I'm looking into buying a getaway/occasional airbnb property that has 2.5 acres of 25-35 y.o. grapes of 3 different kinds. I like the house, and I really like the area. The vineyard is the biggest selling point for me. Fell in love with the view from the house and walking through it. At the same time, it's the main concern.

As much as I'd love to learn taking care of it, there's just not enough time, and my main residence is 2.5 hours drive from it. The area is quickly growing new wine country. So, I'd imagine if companies that could take care of it for me exist- they must be present there. Which brings me to a few questions.

1) What would these companies be called? What should I google for?
2) Is there a lot of work (hence cost) in taking care of these 2.5 acres?
3) Would there be any way to recoup some of the caretaking costs by selling my grapes? Who would I sell it to? A lot of licensing in California? Or is my best bet to just charge extra for the airbnb experience?

Thank you!

Where in CA? There are vineyard management companies that will care for the vineyard. My experience is that it will exceed the sale price of the grapes, unless you are in Napa/Sonoma.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Which brings me to a few questions.

1) What would these companies be called? What should I google for?
2) Is there a lot of work (hence cost) in taking care of these 2.5 acres?
3) Would there be any way to recoup some of the caretaking costs by selling my grapes? Who would I sell it to? A lot of licensing in California? Or is my best bet to just charge extra for the airbnb experience?

Thank you!

I live in NorCal wine country; I don't own a vineyard but I do work for a winery...

There are vineyard management companies (google!) that will take care of everything from grape farming to selling the end product to winemakers. Honestly, I have no idea about price structure and whether you might actually make a profit, but there is a situation similar to what you describe just up the road from me: a couple of acres of grapes and owners who only visit once a month or so. I knew the previous owner and i think they made some money from the vineyard. There may also be some tax breaks you can get from operating a farm.

The vineyard management folks will be there on and off throughout the year (for pruning, trellising, spraying etc as well as harvest, of course) but it's definitely not a full time job. They will take care of contracts with the winemaker(s) who buy your crop as well as picking and trucking.

What's the water situation like? As you know, it's a constant concern these days in CA and it might add significant cost if you have to invest in a new well and storage tank(s). Might be a good question for the realtor, as well as the vineyard mgmt folks if and when you talk to them. If it's an old vineyard, you might want to ask them to do a walk-through with you: you'll learn a lot and will also get some insight into what up-front and ongoing costs might be associated with it, over and above the regular vineyard management activities.

Good luck!