I am in the beginning stages of researching a tasting room for our area. I want the tasting room to specialize in Texas wines. The Texas wine industry is taking off in a huge way however the hill country (wine country) is about a 3 to 4 hour drive from the Houston area. The only tasting rooms in and around Houston serve wines from around the globe but not from Texas. Our local liquor stores and grocers have a very limited selection maybe 3 or 4 wineries and only the larger ones. I have visited the hill country and researched and know that it is growing leaps and bounds. And.....we Texans really dig things from Texas. So....my question starts with....what do you think of the idea? I have scouted a couple of spots and rents are reasonable but want to know if the idea is worth the risk? I have worked in a management position for 5 years before I began my teaching career and feel that I have a great idea. Just need a few pointers. Thank you!
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
You should be in a good position to learn more about the potential of a tasting room focused on Texas wines by doing some basic market research. Have you thought about speaking with some of the retailers in the area to find out what their experience is with Texas wines, without revealing your plans? Are they experiencing the strong, growing demand you mention? If so, being the first to open a tasting room with a local product focus could be an excellent opportunity, given the loyalty to all things Texan and the absence of competitors (although, if you're successful, others will surely follow). You could enhance your uniqueness by sourcing wines which are not available in the area, especially those from smaller wineries of note. Making contact with wineries in advance would no doubt be helpful: They should leap at the chance to have an outlet to promote their products. The main risk of pursuing a Texas-only positioning is that you will be dependent upon trends for those wines; as the business develops, you may find that diversification (offering wines from other origins) provides a better balance. Of course, at the outset you need to be sure you have tackled all of the basic business issues as well as licensing requirements. Best of luck with your concept.
