So here are the results question by question:

1. 67% had some sort of compliance responsibility.

2. 27% had TTB power of attorney for their winery site.

3. What is their biggest challenge?

27% said the TTB monthly report (702)

51% said maintaining the day to day recordkeeping

60% said finding answers to their compliance questions

4.  What specific wine compliance tasks are they managing?

60% are filing the TTB monthly report (702)

31% are filing TTB label approvals (COLAs)

33% are filing the TTB excise tax report

76% are doing data entry of work orders

27% are filing amendments to their TTB permits

5. What electronic filing systems are they using?

89% are using the COLAs online system to file their label approvals

44% are using Pay.gov to file the TTB monthly report or excise tax form

33% are using the Permits Online system

6. Where did they receive their wine compliance training?

89% received their training on the job

58% had taken some classes

38% had learned through web research

38% had asked their colleagues for guidance

7. Would you be interested in compliance training?

(Here's my favorite answer yet!)

76% said Yes

Probably the two responses that were most significant to me were the high percentage who stated "on the job" as their source of compliance training and that 60% said finding answers to their compliance questions was their biggest challenge.

I've long known that "on the job" is the standard issue for compliance training. That is how I learned it once upon a time. And it was frustrating trying to find answers to my questions.

I also think that has a lot to do with the reason that compliance is an unpopular and frustrating task for most it is given to.

So most definetely I was excited to see the high percentage (76%) that said they'd be up for some compliance training! Music to my ears!

More details to come on that topic, but for now thanks again to everyone who gave me their valuable input. You're who the programs are designed for.

What makes this form smart is it prompts the person filling it out on how to fill in the boxes with the necessary information. In other words it won't allow certain fields to be filled in incorrectly. It also prompts the user with pop up boxes on how to correctly fill in the various fields, does auto calculating of tax amounts and there is also a guide available with step by step instructions to walk you through completing the form from start to finish.

Anyone who has stared at this TTB excise tax form (Or any of their other forms) for the first time can relate to the need for making it as easy and fool proof to complete as possible. The sooner a winery gets it right with submitting forms like this to the TTB means they are saving time on their end.

(And potentially money- see my earlier post about the small producer's tax credit!)

The TTB is smart to create these smart form versions on their end because doing so also saves them a lot of time. You can potentially imagine the mess that shows up on their desks from wineries not familiar with how to correctly complete their required reports. I know, I've seen them and I've also been that newbie who was at a loss in trying to figure out how to fill out their forms and learn their cryptic language.

For more info here is a link where you can download the form and user guide:

http://www.ttb.gov/forms/smartform.shtml

If you have further questions on determining what your taxes should be and what your options are for deciding when to actually pay them- please send me an email:   ann@winecompliancealliance.com

First for some background we need to back up a little to an earlier stage in the winemaking process. After bottling, when a wine reaches the cased goods stage and then is shipped out for sale is when the federal excise taxes are required to be paid. Wineries can either opt to pay these taxes on all cases bottled of a wine blend immediately after the bottling is completed or by groups of shipments as they occur.

In either case taxpaid wine, at least in the eyes of the feds is just that, wines that federal excise taxes have been paid on.

So a taxpaid wine bottling house is a TTB permitted site that only deals with wine that has already has the federal excise tax paid on it. These facilities receive the wine in either as cased goods or as bulk and then have a limited number of options available to them for processing and treating it before either bottling it or sending it back out as bulk.

Holders of this type of TTB permit do have somewhat less recordkeeping to maintain, primarily because they don't have to file the monthly report ("702") and of course no excise tax forms to file either. They are required to obtain label approvals (COLAs) for any wines they bottle.

So what would the appeal be of this type of wine business? Basically this is another avenue for those wanting to get into the wine business who aren't interested in the more traditional route of growing and making wine.

They instead want to create and market a wine brand, or brands but just not to the extent of buying grapes, fermenting and storing the finished product and all of the other infrastructure that goes along with being a winery owner. This option allows them to start a wine business with much less potential wait time to be ready to actually begin selling their finished product too, an aspect that will also have appeal for many wine business enthusiasts.

This type of wine business does require an ABC (state) license as well as the TTB (federal) permit.