Two organizations involved with public policy affecting the grape and wine industry—Family Winemakers of California, and WineAmerica—announced a revised joint membership program at the 2016 WIN Expo on December 1 in Santa Rosa, CA. Family Winemakers focuses primarily on State-level issues, while WineAmerica’s focus is on federal policy in Washington, DC. A joint membership allows … Read more
By Michael Kaiser, Director of Public Affairs 11.8.2016 The TTB has issued initial guidelines for the elimination of the bond requirement for certain alcohol producers. As part of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, wine producers that are expected to pay $50,000 or less in federal excise taxes in a year will be exempt … Read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Kaiser Director of Public Affairs 202-223-5172 mkaiser@wineamerica.org November 4, 2016 WineAmerica, the National Association of American Wineries, just concluded its annual Fall Board of Directors Conference in Newberg, Oregon, highlighted by presentations from two influential Washington policymakers. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) spoke to a crowd … Read more
By Michael Kaiser, Director of Public Affairs 10.11.16 If you submit your TTB COLA approvals through the TTB online portal (and we highly suggest that you do) you will notice some changes in the system. COLA’s Online has recently been updated. The goal of the changes is to prevent labels from being returned for correction. … Read more
Alcohol Industry Celebrates Collaboration at Reception By Michael Kaiser, Director of Public Affairs 9.30.16 Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) became the 51st and 52nd US Senators to officially co-sponsor the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (S.1562). This bi-partisan bill seeks to lower the tax burden for all wineries, breweries and … Read more