How wineries are getting sold and still keeping their souls

Making wine may be one of the most romantic and evocative of all professions, but the reality is that it’s brutally difficult to earn a reliable living, and often subject to the whims of forces beyond anyone’s control. Even producers that have been crafting excellent wine for several generations aren’t immune: One or two bad harvests in a row, an ill-timed hail storm, an earthquake that topples stocks of barrels filled with aging wine—all of these can wreak havoc on even the most economically fastidious wine producer.