A 10,000-case winery may provide the best rate of return and the shortest payback period, according to an analysis by two Washington State ­agricultural economists. Trent Ball, chair of the Vineyard and Winery Technology Program at Yakima Valley Community College, and Ray Folwell, partner in Agri-Business Consultants and former Washington State University ag economics professor, looked at start-up costs associated with wineries producing from 2,000 to 20,000 cases of premium table wines, defined as $7 or more per 750 ml bottle, a year. Using an economic-engineering approach, they estimated startup investment, operating costs and financial returns. Premium wines represent 38 […]