The fulfillment of a dream is often owning your own winery. To be able to look out over the vineyards, taste your own wine, invite friends to the winery and watch the maturation process in the in-house vaulted cellar. But the road there is often rocky and long, and finding a suitable winery or vineyard is a challenge. In addition to the size, the wine region, the location and of course the price must correspond to the buyer's ideas and possibilities. The market for wineries is still very secretive and intransparent. Many wineries that are for sale are not advertised. A public tender could damage the reputation, complicate sales channels and scare away loyal customers. Therefore, wineries are often sold "under the table" or even have to be abandoned if no suitable investor can be found. There is a big gap between potential buyers who do not know how to get a suitable winery and winery sellers who cannot find a suitable buyer. The Swiss-based start-up YourWineEstate, founded in 2014, has recognized the problem and brings buyers and sellers of wineries together. The focus is on an effective marketing of the object, and the seller can decide independently about a partner for the sales transaction. YourWineEstate only receives a monthly advertisement fee for the marketing effort, as it is known from general real estate portals, for example. And the success gives the young entrepreneur team right. The number of visitors is constantly increasing and the first wineries have already experienced a change of ownership or are currently in sales negotiations.
The potential buyers of a winery are very differently oriented. Whether entrepreneur, vintner, investor or family office. They all cherish the dream of owning their own wine. But owning and managing your own winery does not only bring pleasure and relaxation. In addition to the investment, it requires a suitable property, time, knowledge and experience. The grape varieties suitable for the terroir are of decisive importance for the quality of the wine. However, in prestigious areas, such as Tuscany or Bordeaux with prices in top locations of EUR 480,000 per hectare and more, it is often reserved for the rich and famous to acquire a vineyard. For many, owning their own winery is and remains an unfulfilled dream.
Christoph Schneider, partner and COO of YourWineEstate.com and himself coming from a winemaking family of South Baden, notes that today there are also very interesting new possibilities and ways to own a vineyard for not so wealthy wine lovers. "We are seeing a trend towards new, innovative business models," says Christoph Schneider. "Wine lovers today want to experience their own wine and lifestyle of a vineyard, like to help out in the vineyard sometimes and be present at the grape harvest, but do not want to bear the associated responsibility, work, costs and the risks that owning your own vineyard entails.".
Such concepts range from leaseholds, vine leases, and participation certificates to vine sponsorships. Christoph Drewes and Hans Karl Pichler have launched a very interesting concept for lovers of Italian wine with "My Vineyard" in the renowned Valpolicella region. Vineyards with a size of 1000 square meters or more can be purchased. With or without a service package - tailored to the needs of the respective buyer. What is new about the idea is that the customer also becomes the actual owner of a parcel of land. The money is invested in real land, which has steadily increased in value in recent years. Moreover, the two initiators and co-owners take over the management of the vineyard in addition to the administrative handling. The plot owners are kept up to date about the current development of their vineyards via webcams and social media and can actively participate as they wish.
Another very creative and at the same time sensible project can be found in the Swiss canton Valais, at the Domaine de Ravoire in Salgesch. In order to be able to replant the steep terraced vineyards, the owners, Albert Mathier & Sons, have issued half of their shares to wine lovers, who even have a say in the assemblage of the wines. On the one hand, this has helped to preserve a cultural heritage and, at the same time, shareholders are benefiting this year from their first dividend, a bottle of their own wine.
While in the past, it was rather older people with higher incomes who were interested in wine and wineries, a change in the age structure can be observed. Whether wine trips, wine events or even participations in wineries, younger wine lovers are increasingly devoted to the wine lifestyle. They are looking for a balance besides their often stressful job and appreciate being outside in nature and tackling in the vineyards away from the office desk and everyday stress. Especially projects that allow for participation in the vineyard, but do not involve the risks, the high costs of production and the work involved, can be well combined with an active and at the same time unattached lifestyle.
Consequently, enjoying a bottle of wine from one's own vineyard is no longer the preserve of the few. Some winegrowers have already recognized the need and offer new, innovative participation models for wine lovers. However, the advantages are not only to be seen on the side of the buyers, the winery itself can also benefit from it. An increase in wine sales, the financing of special projects, the loyalty of the shareholders and word-of-mouth propaganda increase the level of awareness of the winery and thus contribute to its success.
YourWineEstate is a leading global platform for the acquisition, sale and leasing of wineries. Founded in 2014, we offer a user-friendly and high-quality platform for the fragmented and non-transparent wine real estate market. The offer is complemented by current events, experts as well as relevant news from the wine world.
Contact: Frauke Kausch and Christoph Schneider, managing partners of YourWineEstate.com, frauke.kausch@yourwineestate.com and christoph.schneider@yourwineestate.com