While starting a winery is one of the most exciting ventures an entrepreneur can undertake, it is also a complex, capital-intensive process full of pitfalls for the unprepared. I’ve done winery startup consulting for 27 years. Most people who contact me have the vision or the land, but they often come from careers outside the wine industry, quickly discovering the steep learning curve involved in navigating production decisions, vineyard management, financial forecasting, compliance, and competitive direct-to-consumer sales. Ultimately, they know the business is difficult and expensive and want to get it right, but they may not realize that the decisions determining long-term profitability are made in the first eighteen months—long before a bottle is sold, the tasting room opens, or even the building goes up.

I work with founders, families, and investors from the earliest planning stage through the launch and into ongoing operations. The work I do is not cheerleading and it is not a rubber stamp. It is a rigorous analysis bringing together a background in engineering, project management, financial forecasting, business management and winemaking. I bridge the gap between passion and profitability by filling the knowledge holes and guiding you through every stage of building your winery. I help you make confident decisions that protect your investment and set your brand up for long-term success.