Among the most important questions a start-up winery owner needs to ponder is who will make the wine. Should it be the winery owner or investor? A hired winemaker? Or a consultant? Those were the questions posed by Caleb Foster, co-owner and winemaker at Buty Winery, Walla Walla, Washington, during the recent annual meeting of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. Foster knows a bit about all three strategies. He’s an owner/winemaker, has hired a consultant, and has worked as a hired winemaker for other wineries. Since most start-up wineries begin at the 500-case level, Foster limited his remarks […]