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What’s Bond Got To Do With Your Winery?
There is no shortage of terminology used in the wine industry and that tends to go double when talking specifically about winery compliance subjects. One of those commonly used terms is bond. Some common phrases you might hear are, “What’s your bond number?” “The wine is still in bond” or “What is your bond coverage?”. What […]
The Meaning of an ABC Posting Sign
Have you ever seen one of these ABC posting signs while driving around? Chances are you have if you live in an area that has a lot of wineries. You may have seen them posted in any number of locations: in front of your neighbor’s house, in a storefront window or out in front of […]
Want your Wine Compliance to Make Sense? Create a Blueprint.
Think wine compliance is confusing to understand and even more confusing to manage? Take heart, there is no need to continue pulling your hair out over keeping up with the requirements behind all those licenses, reports and records coming at you from umpteen different agencies. The two words I always come back to when offering […]
The Wine Compliance Doc Is In!
Winery compliance can often be a lonely business. Many of my early experiences with it were like this. I asked questions, but nobody seemed to know the answers. I looked around for detailed information explaining what was required but found very little in the way of training. This was 13 years ago. How I would have loved […]
For Whom The Label Approval Responsibility Tolls.
Back on the ever popular topic of wine labels, I’ve got a question for all of you involved in the label approval part of the process. Say a wine is made at winery A but then shipped to winery B to be bottled. Which winery is responsible for obtaining the TTB label approval for it?
No TTB Seminars to be held in 2012. Where to Find Answers to Your Questions?
You’ve seen me mention that there are not very many sources of training in the area of wine compliance. But one source that had been an annual offering that many of us had become accustomed to were the TTB’s seminars. These were a full day event covering the most popular TTB topics and current updates […]
How to Create the Perfect Blend When Designing Your Wine Labels.
The practice of winemaking is often referred to as an art or a craft. The process of creating a label is a very intricate one as well. It is intricate not only because of the TTB regulations that surround them but also because of the many parties that are involved in their design. From winery […]
OK Wineries………….Everybody Concentrate!
This is a cautionary post for all the wineries that as a result of the low sugar levels in their fruit this year due to the lack of a summer decided to boost the sugar level of their batches of juice and must by adding grape concentrate. Beware that come bottling time for any of those […]
What is this Man Doing?
Whenever I come across images of this statue figure which lives at the south end of Napa I smile because I know the name of it is, “The Grape Crusher”. My smile however is not one so much of local fondness but rather of eye rolling frustration. Why? It’s innacurate! This man is not in the process […]
The Weighty Issues of Winery Compliance
Recently I spotted one of these CHP trucks on the highway. It brought me back to my days as a deputy weighmaster and when during the harvest time of year, you didn’t want to see one of these pulling into your winery. (Not that you ever did) One of the most common reasons a CHP truck […]
Survey Says: Compliance is Both Key to Success and Main Challenge for Wineries.
I recently came across an article on Wine Business’ website which discussed a survey of 149 wine businesses recently compiled by the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University. The focus of the survey was to determine the common key success factors and the common challenges that wineries are encountering in todays very dynamic marketplace.
What Does Good Compliance Feel Like?
When you think about your winery compliance system either as a whole or just parts of it how do you feel? If some of your initial reactions include wincing, making a sour face or saying “Ughh!” I’d encourage you to consider that lack of organization may be a major cause for this, not the topic itself. I recently […]
Who Has The Power at Your Winery?
Who runs the show at your winery when it comes to TTB compliance? Contrary to what or who may have come to mind after reading the title here the direction I’m heading with this post is geared towards your winemaking records and reporting activities. Particularly those which are regulated by the TTB, which happens to be most […]
Wine Labels: The Big Picture of Appellations.
Appellations: The Location, location, location of Wine. Just like the phrase from the real estate world, wine is often all about location, location, location. In the case of wine the terminology used is appellation. A wine’s appellation is the details on its bloodlines or where the grapes used to make the wine were grown. We are […]
Tips From The TTB For Avoiding Audits
Wine Industry Members: The TTB is on your side! When I first began doing wine tracking work at a Sterling Vineyards back in 1997 I was not given any training about the details of it. It was essentially a matter of being in the right place at the right time for the opportunity to begin learning winery […]
