Agriculture: The Wine Portfolio

Beset by sagging sales, the government and a new bug, California's vintners try to promote their wares

An old adage has it that the way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a large fortune. For all its aura of romance, making wine is an enterprise fraught with woes -- both man-made and natural. Government regulators have been acting lately as if wine were as much of a health hazard as tobacco. Even in sunny, bountiful California, frosts can shrivel vulnerable young grape buds. Untimely rains can ruin a harvest. And periodically, vineyards are assaulted by plagues of voracious insects.

Grape growers in Northern California have not one but two of these...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!