Has anyone on this forum gone from home winemaker to selling commercially either at their vineyard, in liquor stores, or even to a local restaurant? I am just getting into winemaking and am curious about how far some people take it. It looks like a very impressive knowledgable group so I'm sure there are some excellent wines being made.
Homemaker to Commercial Production?
- Thread starter PueriVini
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Several have and I'm sure they will chime in but with all work and permitting it's not as romantic as you may think.
start with a business plan if you answer all the questions in the plan with a positive results then start looking into starting a winery. research you local state rules and view ttb.gov for the federal rules. make sure you can get local approval of your establishment in making and selling wine. the state of Kansas as a farm winery license which is geared to boost agribusiness. it is a little simpler and cheaper than a wine manufacturer license. be prepare to work hard.
Thanks for the info. I was curious to know if I would be able to find anyone's wine on a store's shelves. I have heard wine is an ultracompetative industry, which is understandable considering so many people have a passion for the industry, both through making and cosnuming.
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Most of the wine from low volume wineries end up in stores in a limited region. Ozarks, Blue Ridge mountains etc. Unless you are producing thousands of bottles there isn't much likelihood of a wine being found across the country. There will be exceptions of course but for the most part....
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Kansas has a farm winery license available. it allows the winery to do its own distribution and does not have to be involved in the three tier system. I believe Missouri has a similar statute. in these case some wine sores will display local wines. We have a large retail store here in Overland Park KS. They have one section dedicated to Kansas and Missouri wines.
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Ditto what @salcoco said that you should get local zoning approval first if you are not using a building already zoned commercial. The TTB licensing is straight forward. Took me under 5 months to get approved. State was a few months.
The business plan is the key. Otherwise a winery is a money pit. I've known a small number wineries that went with distribution first. Most open to the public. Distribution is difficult due to the tight margins. Remember that you will be in competition with Gallo and large wineries that have the economy if scale you don't. They can sell wine to distributors for under $4 a bottle. I can't even make wine for under that.
Going for open to the public first means having significant staffing cost and having a property in reasonably close proximity to a population center.
All depends on your scale and plans. Good luck
The business plan is the key. Otherwise a winery is a money pit. I've known a small number wineries that went with distribution first. Most open to the public. Distribution is difficult due to the tight margins. Remember that you will be in competition with Gallo and large wineries that have the economy if scale you don't. They can sell wine to distributors for under $4 a bottle. I can't even make wine for under that.
Going for open to the public first means having significant staffing cost and having a property in reasonably close proximity to a population center.
All depends on your scale and plans. Good luck
