Before you sign, find out what the winery will actually cost you.
The broker’s price is built to sell the winery. It leans on the best year, the friendliest assumptions, and the lowest costs. By the time you find the cost to make it into your vision, the money is already spent.
Independent winery acquisition evaluation due diligence is the work that finds those numbers before you sign — the true run-rate for you, the capital you will need after closing, the channel performance the seller’s summary glossed over, and whether this property can actually become the winery you want to build. I have spent more than 27 years in the wine business, on the winemaking side and the business side. I know where the costs hide.
What I evaluate
Will it meet your vision?
It might be a great property, but if it does not fit what you want to build and it is not workable to get there, it is not the right deal for you. That question comes first.
Water rights and usage.
What rights attach to this property, what the vineyard and winery actually consume, and how wastewater is managed. Water that is freely available today may be restricted within the life of your ownership.
The true costs and run-rate.
What it actually will cost for you to operate in a normal year and a down year. Where the current owner has been under-investing, and what that bill comes to once you own it.
What you are actually buying.
What licenses the business holds and what does the Use Permit allow? Are there changes after closing. I make sure you know what you are buying before you sign, not after.
Hidden capital needs.
Costs that are coming whether the seller discloses: equipment at the end of its life, deferred work, technology systems that need replacing, licensing and compliance gaps.
Sales channel economics.
A winery cash flow analysis for buyers goes channel by channel: DTC, wine club, tasting room, and distribution. Which channels are carrying the business, and which are quietly draining it.
What you receive
My winery investment analysis lays out what this property will actually cost you — the true run-rate, the hidden capital requirements, and how the business earns across every channel. I include my sources so you can see the benchmarks behind the numbers. The assumptions are labeled and the numbers tie. You will be able to see the levers and test them yourself. As you move toward a decision, I am here to answer questions, source assets and help you set up the winery you envision.
Why buyers trust me with this
Most of what you find when you search for help buying a winery is transaction advisory. Those firms are paid when the deal closes. That is a different service — their job is to get the transaction done. Mine is not. As an independent winery acquisition consultant, I work only for the buyer: no transaction fee, no stake in whether you sign.
This is also not a formal appraisal or valuation; that is a separate service with different licensing requirements. What I do is independent business due diligence — the analysis that tells you what this winery is actually worth to you, and what it will cost you to run it.
I work solo and I work straight. If the deal is sound, I will tell you. If it isn’t workable for your ultimate vision, I will show you the numbers that prove it. The decision is always yours.
Client Work | North Carolina Winery Acquisition Evaluation
A couple in North Carolina found an existing winery and vineyard they wanted to buy. They were new to the industry. The property had two parts: an in-town tasting room with a small vineyard, and a separate out-of-town site with a vineyard and room to expand. They hired me to tell them what they were actually walking into.
I worked through where the winery was losing money, what it would take to make it profitable, and what ownership would realistically require of them. They understood the full picture and decided to move forward.
During due diligence, we found an unreported landfill under one of the vineyards. The seller had not disclosed it. They had that information before they signed. That is the work.
Let’s talk.
If you are looking at purchasing a winery and you want to know what you are actually buying — the real numbers, the real run-rate, the risks that are hidden behind the story — give me a call. Know what you are walking into before you sign.