Boutique vineyard with your own wine label

Wine lovers buying online, at the cellar door or at markets, plus local restaurants, bottle shops and visitors to the region.

You sell bottles at a retail price, or through wine club subscriptions and cases. You can also sell surplus grapes to other wineries.

• Vineyard or farming knowledge
• Branding and storytelling
• Selling direct to customers
• Managing cash flow across a long production cycle

• Land costs are not included in the startup estimate
• Selling alcohol usually needs a liquor licence or producer licence, so check your state or territory liquor authority
• Check how the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) and any producer rebate apply to you with the ATO
• Wine labelling and food standards rules, so check with Wine Australia and Food Standards Australia New Zealand
• Check council planning rules for cellar doors, signage and events
• Cash is tied up in stock for a long time before it sells, and public liability and product liability insurance are worth checking

Startup costs are typically around $80,000 to $400,000, depending on vineyard size, equipment and whether you add a cellar door. Land costs are not included in this estimate, so budget for that separately.

Monthly revenue is typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on volume, pricing and whether you sell online, at the cellar door or through other outlets. Cash is tied up in stock for a long time before it sells.

Selling alcohol usually needs a liquor or producer licence, so check your state or territory liquor authority. Also check how Wine Equalisation Tax and any producer rebate apply with the ATO, labelling rules with Wine Australia and FSANZ, and council planning rules for cellar doors.