My dad bought some land in Mendoza, Argentina a while ago for a vineyard. He's a wine enthusiast, but his plan isn't to get a huge profit out of it. He's going to produce about 300 bottles, give away 100 to friends, drink 100, and store 100. A friend of his who owns a vineyard near by his is running the whole thing for him. What Ottamaton said is basically your answer.
If you go for local sales, have a little shop on the winery, put in a restaurant, etc. you could have a good time and maybe make a little money. I wouldn't expect to get rich. Go check out Messina Hof North of Bryan, TX. They do it right. They are actually pretty successful as far as Texas wineries go, but they have a nice little bed and breakfast, a nice little shop, a good restaurant, and tasting tours, etc.
I would stay out of it for several reasons. 1. Texas wines are terrible. 2. The effort to create "good" wine in Texas would be immense. 3. I've seen Texas wineries come and go...mostly go. I'm not trying to squash your dream in any way, I promise. Just seeing the futile attempts over the years to create a truly consumable Texas wine is enough to force me to suggest you try something different. If you're really into wine and have some investment money, a nice wine bar might be more your speed. Or, go for something unique if you truly enjoy the hill country. Grape-growing and wine manufacturing are skills that are best left to the "experts" in regions that are a proven commodity.
Muscadine dessert wine are where it's at in the South. (I made that up, but it's the only wine I like)
A friend of mine just moved there and the winery market is tough...job wise...She's been looking for a while...On top of that, Real estate prices are outrageous and there are tons of details that unless you're in it 24/7, will be tough...
Yeah the country is beautiful out there. That's basically what the real estate agent told us is that it's a hobby for the wealthy. That's true because of how expensive it is to set up, the amount of competition, etc. She said most of them just do it for the fun, and look at it as a hobby. I've donated my share of money to wine tastings in both northern and central CA wine regions. I love it.
Second what he said. I have found some really nice local wines (well semi local- within a two hour drive) here in KY. One of my faves is Elk Creek.
I'm not a red wine drinker. I like a Riesling(Fall Creek's Johannisberg Riesling in paticular) and any Gewurztraminer. As you can tell, I don't like "dry"!! Hill Country wineries do produce good tasting white wines. If you could supply these, I'd probably be a veeeery good customer.
DD, have you made any wine before? They sell kits to make small batches. In fact, there are recipes out there for making wine with Welch's grape juice. I'd try that before you go hog wild. I had a professor in law school that was a partner in a winery in Napa. But he was a very VERY wealthy man.
DaDa...I havn't read a single post in this thread other than your original one. As a person involved on a daily basis in wine and food my recommendation would be do yourself a favor and reconsider. I have a pretty extensive wine collection and nothing in it has come from Texas for good reason Not to say good grapes can't be grown there, but in my opinion nothing has as of yet. You seem like a person who does their research before you get involved in something. That being said, become a certified sommelier and then maybe consider branching out.
No. Why? I was in the resturant business for 8 years and I love me some wind and I am more Texan than I am American and Texas wine is horrible. This great state has no business making wine. We dont' have the proper soil or climate. If anyone says otherwise, they don't wine.
If you want to do something similar to a Max's Wine Dive, then go for it. It's my new favorite place and it's always packed. They sell great wine at a very reasonable price. I've had Jordan for $65 and Silver Oak for $70. You'll pay over $120-$160 a bottle at Pappas, Vic's and other fine dining resturants.
