Welcome back entrepreneurs, today we welcome Mason Moreland, a founder of Texas Vine Country. Mason helps us understand why Texas is a great place to invest in vineyards, how mechanization is changing the industry of winemaking and how vineyard syndication differs from other common syndicated deals. We also chatted briefly about his herpetology (amphibian and reptile) research which took him to the canal zone of Panama.
Timelines of Investing in a Vineyard Syndication Deal
It takes 3 years to bear fruit, and 5 years to maximum grape production.
Pushing high yields shortens the productive lifespan of the vines. Declines in production begin in 20 – 30 years. However, Texas Vine Country retains some profits for replanting so that the vineyard maintains its cash flow for the entire (indefinite) hold period. Mason looks at an investment as something that you can pass on to your children.
Cash flow is greater once stabilized which helps to make up for the lack of cash flow as the vines grow
Constraints
It is difficult to do more than two plantings per year due to limits in the number of skilled hands. There is a strong seasonal cycle. Fall is the time to source materials and finish the cap raise. Spring is for the installation such as the posts, catch wires, fruit wires and the trunk wire of trellises. Late spring is planting time! In between is operations.
Wine Stories
Mason tells us the story of how the amazingly popular Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes (of France and Italy respectively) come originally from Croatia where the grape is known as Crljenak Kastelanski. It wasn’t until modern biologists used DNA sequencing techniques to find out that many apparently very different vines were actually genetic clones of one another. The differences in the taste of the delicious finished product is of course due to terroir which is the vine’s milieu including the soil, topography, and climate.
We discuss many other amazing wine stories including the strange process of producing the French dessert wine Sauternes, how Texas saved France from the Phylloxera crisis and why Texas is an amazing place to grow Spanish grapes such as Tempranillo.
Books that have Helped to Forge Mason Moreland as an Entrepreneur and a Leader
10x by Grant Cardone
The Holy Bible
Wine Industry Insight by Lewis Perdue: https://wineindustryinsight.com/?page_id=2
Connect with Mason Online
Texas Vine Country: https://www.texasvinecountry.com/
