October 26, 2009 Starting a Vineyard? Make Sure You Take This Report With a Grain of Salt.

Figuring out how to start a winery must include a look at winery insurance

At Live Asset Insurance, we are used to explaining our unique insurance coverage to brokers and owners themselves. When it comes to vineyard insurance, we educate people on where government crop insurance drops the ball; where traditional coverage falls short; and how our coverage picks up the slack. 

Our vineyard insurance covers the live assets, vines in this case, and supporting systems like trellises and irrigation systems.

So, winery insurance in general takes some effort to understand and our specialized insurance options for vineyards from Live Asset takes some explanation. You would think that insurance options for anyone starting a winery would be a part of any basic description of how to start a vineyard, right? That sentiment is, apparently, wrong.

University of Arkansas Report Makes Little Mention of Insurance When Starting a Winery

I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I came across this U of Arkansas Division of Agriculture report, “Considerations for Starting a Winery,” by Justin R. Morris, director of the Viticulture and Enology Program.

Trying to figure out how to start a winery or vineyard? There's more to it than what's in this report.

The report covers everything from regulatory approvals to the process of winemaking. I imagine that most would take it as an all-inclusive guide for how to start a winery. Morris makes just two mentions of insurance in about 77 pages and both mentions are passing references.

Only two times does this report mention insurance and the value imparted by those references is zero. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad report and the information that is in there is quality. It’s the omission of discussing insurance that is extremely questionable – especially given that many, many commercial wineries are in California and subject to any number of natural disasters.

Winery Insurance is One of The Most Important Issues to Address When Starting a Vineyard

Obviously, I have a vested interest in letting people know about the unique  insurance options Live Asset offers to wineries and vineyards. But, it does a disservice to not only those who insure wineries, but those trying to learn how to start a vineyard, when a discussion of starting a winery ignores insuring the very plants and equipment that requires so much investment.