By
Shannon Porter
Independent Wine Consultant
In movies such as the recently released “A Good Year,” starring
Russell Crowe, owning a winery looks like a romantic, fun proposition.
If you’re thinking it might be a fun adventure, think again. There’s
an old adage that says, “How do you make a small fortune in the
wine business? Start with a large fortune.”
Starting
up a winery is a lengthy process. Even if you purchase an existing vineyard,
you may need to plant new vines. It can take four years until the vines
will be producing ample fruit, then it will take a year or two to make
the wine and another several years to age the wine. So you’re
looking at close to ten years before you even see the fruits of your
labor. And during this time you’ve had to pay for all of this
winemaking – without even being able to sell any wine to offset
the cost of your investment!
So how
much does land cost in prime winemaking areas? In Napa Valley you’ll
be looking at $240,000-$800,000 a hectacre. In Burgandy, France you
can find some bargains at $32,864/hectacre but can also shell out $2,629,088/hectacre.
The Barossa Valley in Australia is only $11,650-$31,060/hectacre; but
labor is scarce so winemakers rely more on technology and thus have
higher equipment costs.
And, then,
after you’ve spent your hard-earned fortune on land and equipment,
you still have to worry about marketing your wine and dealing with government
regulations.
Whew! Kind of makes you appreciate that bottle you just drank a little
more!
If you’re more interested in just learning how wine is made and
not actually owning a winery; the Front Range has several wineries you
can visit to learn more. Try Boulder Creek Winery between Boulder and
Longmont – www.bouldercreekwine.com.
The tasting room is open Thursday – Sunday from 1-5:30 until Labor
Day.
Balistreri
Winery on 66th Avenue in North Denver offers a variety of events throughout
the year as well as a tasting room that is open every Saturday and Sunday
from 1-5:00. Or, you can call to schedule a private tasting. Visit www.balistreriwine.com
for more information.
If you
simply just love wine and would like the chance to sample a variety,
including those made in Colorado, July 21st marks the Castle Rock Wine
Fest in Castle Rock and August 12th is the Boulder Food and Wine Fest.
Another great way to learn about wine is by taking a tour of several
wineries through Colorado Wine Country Tours. Sommelier Rudi Hellvig
and his wife Chris offer tours of both the Front Range and Western Slope
wineries. Their next tour is to the Western Slope on July 28th and 29th
and is an all inclusive package that includes transportation, lodging,
food and winery tours – including a chance to meet with the winery
owners and winemakers. Visit www.coloradowinecountrytours.com
for more information.
Coming
next month: Refreshing wines for summer!
Shannon
Porter is an independent wine consultant for The Traveling Vineyard.
She has been interested in wines since the 1980s and began conducting
in-home wine tastings in 2003. She has been featured in 5280 magazine
and to date has conducted over 200 wine tastings. For more information
call 303.888.9283 or visit
www.myttv.com/shannon5290
