Even in good times, it is difficult to make estate wineries profitable. The entire industry suffers from a lack of discipline. The sheer number of brands combined with owners willing to sell out last year’s vintage at (or below) cost are a constant anchor on price. Estate wineries have high fixed costs and require large marketing dollars, making volume the key profit driver. We have a great management team led by Erle Martin and Patrick DeLong who have streamlined our operations while improving our wines. We now need more volume.
Having started one estate winery from scratch we have seen that planting quality vineyards increases land value and may provide an inflation hedge. Durable annual cash flows may be difficult to achieve, thus the ultimate judgment on our investment will have to wait until it is eventually sold.
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The Future
Most of our assets are tied to a recovery in the world’s economy. In 2009, we have seen the baby steps of recovery. We hope the baby does not flop back on its bottom. In the current recessionary environment, earnings from our operating businesses and investments do not cover our overhead and interest. We have cash, liquid investments and securities and other assets that should carry us through these difficult times. We are energetically cutting costs. We have talented managers and employees working hard every day.
Out of prudence we take a pessimistic view as to when this recession will end. To think otherwise would be a gamble that we are unwilling to make.
In these troubled times there are sure to be opportunities for investment and we will remain on the hunt. The acquisition by Berkadia is the first fruition of that hunt. We recognize a good deal when we see one and will strive to execute.
We intend to resist what we consider “financial bets.”
