I have been seriously considering moving and buying something with some land, probably a few acres, to grow grapes and produce wine, as a business.
I really like wine. It is one of those simple things that spans generations and cultures. When I lived in Germany (USAF 92-95) I drank large amounts of wine. I would go to the Weingut’s with the intention of buying wine to bring home, start a collection, and ship it back to the US when my tour was finished. Well, I always ended up having parties, running out of beer and breaking out the wine. Needless to say, none of the ‘collection’ survived to get brought home. But I did learn quite a bit about the German wine classifications and the production of wine.
The soil and climate in Iowa is good for growing a lot of things, grapes included. In 1919 the state of Iowa was the 6th largest producer of wine in the US. The rise of corn crops and pesticides put a huge dent in the states production.
The problem that I have right now is that I may have to relocate sometime in the next few years for my job. It is not definite, but it is possible. I don’t think it will happen, but I would lose cash for sure if I moved twice in 2 years.
I think for now, the way forward with this is to start looking around at properties, and talk to my boss about the future.