Thornton Winery’s Cafe Champagne Restaurant is located at 32575 Rancho California Road in Temecula Valley Wine Country. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
Rob Crisell
Special to Valley News
Running a successful winery in California is not for the faint of heart. It is a complicated, risky and wildly expensive endeavor. As the saying goes, if you want to make a small fortune in the wine business, start with a large one. New wineries are built on top of mountains of cash.
Temecula wineries usually follow one of two economic models. The first is the wine-centric model, practiced by the majority of wineries in our area until the early 2000s. These family-run businesses depend on wine sales as their primary, and often only, income stream. They promote their winemakers and viticulturists, educate staff and customers about their wine and cultivate their membership clubs. Usually, owners double as winemakers and tend to be heavily involved in day
