Invest in Nova Scotia Wines

An Amazing, Exciting Industry

Industry leaders suggest each winegrower should find his or her own answer to the question: 'what's profitable, manageable and personally satisfying.'

They will tell you theirs is an amazing, exciting industry. The also tell you that "you build a winemaking business for your grandchildren." The business is hard work, and the financial returns are not immediate so a clear business vision and understanding of the part of the business that appeals to you will help you be successful in the long term.

• Is it as a grape grower - to grow amazing quality grapes? One industry leader says he works with one grape grower who finds more joy producing quality grapes on his two acres than others he deals find working much larger operations.
• Is it as a wine maker, to offer a fabulous product - to express yourself through wine? Or do you want to offer an experience to the consumer beyond the wine product?
• Is it as a partner in the business - to bring investment or a specific business skill?

Industry leaders also offer the following:

• Think carefully about the size of winery you envision. Small wineries can be profitable and personally satisfying. Operations of up to 1,600 cases, for example, can be managed by a very small team. Adolescent sizes, 6,000-15,000 cases, are the most challenging to make work. Even at the low end of the range you spend less time in the cellar, more time selling, and need to invest in automated equipment.
• Your profitability will depend on many factors, but one thing is certain, you need to sell 'beyond the farm gate' and you need a strong marketing program and an effective wine agent.
• Know and understand the art of wine making, grape growing, agriculture and food processing.
• Get to know the regulatory environment, the licensing requirements, distribution policies and restrictions on land use and traffic regulations around your operation. Get it wrong and you may not be able to sell your wine commercially.
• Travel and educate yourself, visit other wine regions.
• Find the right, complementary investment partners. It is unlikely you will be able to achieve your plan alone.
• Invest in preparing the soil and nurturing the grapevines.
• Understand the local market, opportunities and limitations for selling inside and outside the province.
• It is a people business. To operate an owner-managed farm winery in Nova Scotia, you have a lot of contact with customers.
• Invest in building your brand and in well-designed, quality labels. Many consumers make wine-buying decisions based on labels alone.

Other sources of related information on the industry:

We have put together a list of website resources that we hope are useful as you discover more about the wine industry.