The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Winery

by Thomas Pellechia

Book Overview

Making the dream a reality... For many people, owning and running a winery is a dream job. According to Wine Business Monthly , the number of wineries in the U.S. has jumped 26% in less than three... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592578187
• ISBN13: 9781592578184
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

This is the business side of the proposition

Okay, first off, ignore the silly title. There are good "Complete Idiot's" and "Dummies" books and not so good ones. This is a good one. The best book, and certainly the most complete book, I've seen on the business side of starting a winery. I'd recommend other books on wine making (including the excellent The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home which bridges the home winemaking and small winery divide) but if you're serious about a winery, going to a couple of books is hardly a major problem. The book is well-written, clear, and informative. Alas, my recommendation would carry more weight if I've opened a winery and made a profit, but so far this book falls into the informational category for me.

A "Must-Have" for Anyone Considering Winery Operations

At first, i thought the book was too negative, and actually discouraging to winery-ownership aspirations("You can make a small fortune in the wine business, provided you begin with a large one." HA HA). But as I read other books, I realized the author's purpose: There were just too many people gettin' into the "wine biz" for purely romantic reasons, without an ounce of outdoor/ag/technical/marketing knowledge. It's not hard to "love" wine; many people do. Neither is it hard to love fast cars, but I wouldn't think of operating a sports car dealership. And yes, from first-hand experience, it is VERY expensive to start up a winery. For anyone considering getting into the winery business, this book is worth buying even if only for the wonderful Appendix: an excellent collection of forms, worksheets & resources that every winery operator, or anyone thinking of owning a winery, should definitely include in their personal library.

A+ Publication

I was amazed at the information that was in this book,all important and relevant. I am taking my time going through it so I can absorb it all. Highly recommend it!

Winery 101

Despite the title, (a common curse with this series) this is a workable reality check for the would be winemaker. There is little actual discussion of technique, but there are many other sources for that. This is more a discussion of what elements would have to be in place for a new venture to be successful.