Own a vineyard

“There were a lot of challenges, especially in those early months. Neither of us had run a winery or even worked in one, so we were learning everything on the fly—licensing, staffing, events, inventory, wine education, you name it. One of the biggest challenges we didn’t fully anticipate was the enormous task of groundskeeping and vineyard maintenance. It was a full-time job in itself.”

“After a lot of searching for a vineyard to rent, I found one to buy. It's in a small village about 25 minute drive from where I live. The previous owner was moving overseas but offered to help me find my feet, and he was also working with a local expert who also did the heavy lifting [...] It's been a very fulfilling year with the highlight being the harvest - all done by hand with friends and family. Hard work rewarded with some cheese, cold cuts, bread, olives, grapes(!) and of course wine.”

“I didn’t buy a vineyard to make money. I didn’t buy a vineyard for love of wine (although I love wine). I bought a vineyard out of fascination with seeing it from the ground up, as I’ve made my living for 32 years selling wine. [...] It’s a lot of work on top of my ‘day job’, but I’m having a good time.”