I own Basi del Diablo Wines.

And when I say I own the brand, people I meet immediately ask what my vineyard is like.

It is undeniable that the word vineyard makes us think of rolling hills and vines being kissed by the sun. This is the reason why winemaking is romanticised.

I have to admit that there is a certain romance to it. Winemaking, after all, is a marriage between science and art.

However, the reality is far from this dream-like state. Owning a vineyard or a winery (I say winery because that is more applicable to me than the former), is not as glamourous as one would think. And this is due to the high cost of actually starting and owning one.

Starting this from scratch is expensive. Land, facility, machinery, materials, and labour all come into play. Apart from this, having a wine brand also has a long lead time. Regulatory permits, licenses can take months or even years to accomplish. It is a headache, to say the least.

This is definitely not a business for the fainthearted.

It is a capital intensive industry and it sucks the energy out of the person running the whole shindig. I could have given up years ago to be very honest. But even if the basi industry is dying, I could still see a flicker of hope. And from a business point of view, that spark is enough to start a prairie fire.

The Good News

We are getting good reviews from our buyers. And we are slowly getting a larger following. It will take years of hard work to get to the mainstream but it will be worth it.