Beginning a Winery

[Boatboy24]

Virginia is a very wine friendly state. But land isn't cheap - especially here in Northern VA, near DC.

 

[tlrigd]

Thank you for the reply. Northern Georgia is one of the areas we really like. Do you consider Georgia small business/winery friendly? How are the wineries in the area with supporting/mentoring other wineries? We are really trying to do our homework without rushing things. Resources have been pretty hard to come by. Thank you!

 

[tlrigd]

Virginia is a lovely state. We would definitely not be interested in the DC area.

 

[Hokapsig]

I can only advise to stay out of PA, as our laws are archaic and the state is none too friendly to new wineries. I am currently researching NC regulations for wineries, as life might intervene and I will need a real job for a few more years until I can focus full time on a winery. Right now we have a hobby that makes some money on the weekends.

 

[hounddawg]

ok I know this is an old post but to my thinking everybody must know more now then they did back then
first off I lean toward country fruit wines , since in single i'm wondering if I cut a breeze way between 2 bedrooms to convert to a winery, I already have a 3 basin commercial sink and a commercial prep table both of course 304 type stainless steel or food grade stainless, I use to build food type stores in shopping malls so I messed with many health inspectors both city an state, I know all about using fiberglass panels or FRP on ceiling and all walls and lunouam on the floors with drain in middle of each room, , or would it be better to split my land into 2 deeds and put a metal building on my back acre of course I'd have to insulate run HVAC and so on, which runs into very expensive, but would protect my home,,, I've got several local politicians and several multi-millionaire row crop farmers, pushing me to go commercial so I would make more and sell it.right now I sell nothing at all but I do trade for new Italian carboys, fruit concentrate from home winery, but they want me to go from 12 carboys and 1 racking/mixing/back sweetening 6.5 gallon carboy to at the very least, tripling every thing at the minimal end. I really have no interest in this but my nephew had a cancer that had only ever been seen 66 times now 67 times they had to make a corroded artery for his neck 4 inches long and he can never lift heavy things every again without the risk of the artery busting loose. so i'm thinking since I got a following of local politicians and row crop farmers with the smallest owning 8000 acres. now don't get me wrong I've never been around them high dollar clicks, but it's hard for me to see a multi-millionaire with hat in hand standing in my driveway asking if they could be in my inner wine click, heck the only click I ever had was when pulling a bead on a rabbit or deer, I stay away from people like that, I've worked my entire life to remain a plain old country hillbilly, but for my nephew I guess I can do what is not in my comfort zone, these people are like me they have no trained pallet, they don't drink dry or semi-dry wines and they prefer fruit wines as opposed to grape wines,, most wanting muscadine and elderberry wines followed closely by peach, then blackberry strawberry wines.. so I'd like to know the pro's an con's of a move like this I was wishing to just slowly drift thru life, but for my nephew age 28 I feel lead to help set him up a business for him that don't consist of heavy or tons of pressure he's a very good kid, polite say's yes ma'am no ma'am,, yes sir an no sir, does not lie, tries to help people whose down on there luck, just an all around nice kid,,,,
Dawg::

Wade created the subforum, but no posts here yet so I made this one for the topic to show up. Now all we need is to fill in a bunch of stuff.

I will comment here some as I get time as I took the route over the last few years.

 

[Hokapsig]

Hound,

It was my intention to start slow and small and keep my "learning mistakes" to a $$ minimum. From dealing with the feds, the state and the logistics of operating a winery (with help from family and friends, though many times by yourself), it takes a bunch of time and planning/thinking ahead. We have had compliments that as a new winery, our wines are good tasting. Many of the other wineries have told us that taste is a big hurdle to overcome before dipping your toe into the commercial waters.

 

[audmkamp]

TTB will not let you have a winery in your home, even if you sequester room one off from the rest of the house. You need to have a stand alone structure.

ok I know this is an old post but to my thinking everybody must know more now then they did back then
first off I lean toward country fruit wines , since in single i'm wondering if I cut a breeze way between 2 bedrooms to convert to a winery, I already have a 3 basin commercial sink and a commercial prep table both of course 304 type stainless steel or food grade stainless, I use to build food type stores in shopping malls so I messed with many health inspectors both city an state, I know all about using fiberglass panels or FRP on ceiling and all walls and lunouam on the floors with drain in middle of each room, , or would it be better to split my land into 2 deeds and put a metal building on my back acre of course I'd have to insulate run HVAC and so on, which runs into very expensive, but would protect my home,,, I've got several local politicians and several multi-millionaire row crop farmers, pushing me to go commercial so I would make more and sell it.right now I sell nothing at all but I do trade for new Italian carboys, fruit concentrate from home winery, but they want me to go from 12 carboys and 1 racking/mixing/back sweetening 6.5 gallon carboy to at the very least, tripling every thing at the minimal end. I really have no interest in this but my nephew had a cancer that had only ever been seen 66 times now 67 times they had to make a corroded artery for his neck 4 inches long and he can never lift heavy things every again without the risk of the artery busting loose. so i'm thinking since I got a following of local politicians and row crop farmers with the smallest owning 8000 acres. now don't get me wrong I've never been around them high dollar clicks, but it's hard for me to see a multi-millionaire with hat in hand standing in my driveway asking if they could be in my inner wine click, heck the only click I ever had was when pulling a bead on a rabbit or deer, I stay away from people like that, I've worked my entire life to remain a plain old country hillbilly, but for my nephew I guess I can do what is not in my comfort zone, these people are like me they have no trained pallet, they don't drink dry or semi-dry wines and they prefer fruit wines as opposed to grape wines,, most wanting muscadine and elderberry wines followed closely by peach, then blackberry strawberry wines.. so I'd like to know the pro's an con's of a move like this I was wishing to just slowly drift thru life, but for my nephew age 28 I feel lead to help set him up a business for him that don't consist of heavy or tons of pressure he's a very good kid, polite say's yes ma'am no ma'am,, yes sir an no sir, does not lie, tries to help people whose down on there luck, just an all around nice kid,,,,
Dawg::

 

[havlikn]

I have been to a winery in Waukesha wi area that has a winery in the basement of their house. They are separated by a locked door but they run a thriving business

 

[audmkamp]

Oh wow. Was just relaying what an approving agent told me!

 

[havlikn]

Yeah I couldn't believe their set up. But it was considered separate so they got it to fly.

 

[Hokapsig]

TTB will not let you have a winery in your home, even if you sequester room one off from the rest of the house. You need to have a stand alone structure.

Nothing is more false. My fully permitted TTB and State winery resides in my basement, though I am quickly outgrowing the downstairs.

 

[Stressbaby]

In Missouri you can do this but it has to be permanently walled off from the rest of the home.

 

[hounddawg]

To each and everyone of ya'll i give my utmost thank to all here..,
but from reading an going thru all the so called rules, i have made the astute dissection to try to fill the grand canyon with taffy due to the fact of that would be much easier to do... thanks everyone for the information,,
DAWG::

TTB will not let you have a winery in your home, even if you sequester room one off from the rest of the house. You need to have a stand alone structure.

 

[Hokapsig]

Well, a new year, a new update.

We finished 2016 with a flourish and figured that we had sold almost 400 gallons of wine and gave away about 90 gallons in tasters. We have since purchased stainless steel VC tanks of the 200 and 300 liter sizes to expand production. We are quickly outgrowing our basement and my car is no longer garage kept as pallets of bottles are stored there waiting for filling.

We started off 2017 with the generous help of friends and through 6 weeks of the year, we are already over 50% of last years total business. My wife has quit her job and is now a full time cellar rat/business manager/go getter for the winery. We have purchased a pickup truck to transport our goods to market and to pick up production materials (and not having to impose on ffemt for the use of his truck which we greatly appreciated). We have come up with mulled wine recipes which caused us to sell out of 140 gallons of Cabernet and that became a crowd favorite. We now have a "following".

Though we are very busy this winter, we plan to ease up on the summer and enjoy our wines and prep for fall. My wife will be selling our wines at farmer's markets on Thursdays and Saturdays, with occasional bigger shows sprinkled in. We are still learning the business, but have made BIG leaps over the past year. My team that helps to sell wine is confident and consumer driven. We are often told we are the nicest winery with the best tasting wines, and our sales appear to reflect that.

But now taxes are the issue and we have met with a professional accountant for assistance. They are worth every penny and hopefully will keep me out of jail (though I will blame everything on my wife, as its hockey season and I want the TV). We are now looking at purchasing acreage and putting up a winery building. My wife has seen that the business is now sustainable.

We look forward to further reports as the year progresses. We had one glitch where our older corker was putting a crease in the corks and the bottles were leaking when customers stored them on their side. We recorked about 20 cases and that issue has been corrected with the purchase of a new Italian corker.

 

[ibglowin]

Fantastic news Bill! Congratulations all the way around. All your hard work is finally paying off!

 

[Boatboy24]

Great news. I've really enjoyed following your journey.

 

[Julie]

Congrats Bill!

 

[DoctorCAD]

Are you permitted to sell to a NC resident (formerly from Irwin)?

 

[Hokapsig]

Well, since you're from Irwin and I'm from Irwin, we obviously can do this. In fact, ffemt and I are coming to NC next weekend to Winston Salem to trim vines in the vineyard in Lewisville. Hope to see you there.

 

[grapeman]

Hope everything keeps going well for you and your wife there. It is a lot of work but can be very satisfying.