Meet the Vintners.

• Position: Final entry

Most CalCPA members know Joe Kovar, CPA as the founding partner of Sweeney Kovar, Accountants & Advisors. He has more than 35 years of public accounting experience working with closely-held businesses and their owners in a variety of industries. What people may not know is that Kovar recently picked up a hobby that has turned him and his wife, who is also a CPA, into something else: aspiring wine makers. We talked to Joe about his fledgling vines and to get more details about the new venture.

Why delve in to the world of growing a vineyard?

My wife, K.C., and I are both CPAs, and we've always enjoyed visiting the Napa Valley. Our dream has been to move to Napa after we retired. In 2016, we found a beautiful lot in the Coombsville area nestled next to the foothills in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley. Most visitors don't even know it exists. Even though we're not ready to retire, we knew this was where we wanted to be. So, we bought the property, planted a vineyard and will begin the home renovation in early 2018.

How big is your vineyard, and what kind of grapes did you plant?

Our vineyard is about one-third of an acre--technically a hobby vineyard. We planted Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 191. Coombsville is known for premium cabernet because the weather is slightly cooler, so the vines enjoy a longer ripening period.

How long do you think it will be before you see a yield?

The vineyard was planted in March 2017 and we expect our first full harvest in October 2020.

How many cases of wine do you plan on producing and what do you expect the yield to be?

Our yield is expected to be about 1 to 1.5 tons. That will produce two barrels of wine, or 60-70 cases.

What do you expect the cost per bottle will be to produce the wine?

At this point, we haven't analyzed the cost, but...