during my investment banking days, as I zoned out staring at my computer screen and its blinking cursor, I used to dream about an idyllic life owning a small vineyard and making a small wine label. I never discounted the challenge of learning winemaking from the ground up, but assumed that having a small operation where you could be closely connected to your product and got you more involved with nature would be a nice reprieve from the monotonous hours in a cubicle.
That dream seems untenable these days as I learn more about the Wente and Kingston families and their respective decades-long tribulations in building out a business, and about the growers in the Long Island region. Even as DTC becomes more prevalent and mitigates some of the onerous requirements from the 21st Amendment, I didn't realize how much investment was required to make half-decent wine, let alone good wine. I expect that pioneers in new wine regions today have extremely patient timelines, knowing that few will realize a profit or achieve scale sufficient to sustain the business until close to their retirement.
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