Regulation & Rules Round Up October 30th at Doukenie Winery 

On October 30th at 1 PM, we will be hosting the second Regulation & Rules Round Up at Doukenie Winery  to answer your questions on some of the hot-button issues affecting Virginia wineries today.    

As we did in the previous Round Up, we'll start the session with a closed-session discussion on some of the regulatory changes and interpretations that the wineries are facing - topics to include ABC issues, County Board of Supervisors actions, VDACS and Department of Health, and many more topics.  Questions will be answered by Mary Beth Williams of Williams Compliance & Consulting and author of "Compliance Corner". Later, after we have the closed-session, we will also welcome Roger Stevens of the Virginia ABC to answer questions from an ABC standpoint to help you run your business in a manner compliant with the ABC laws.  

You can submit your questions, beforehand by email or online, or the day of the event. 

An additional opportunity will be offered from 10 AM - 12 PM before the Regulation & Rules Round Up, we will be holding a seminar entitled ABC Records & Reporting 101.  Officials from Virginia ABC Tax Management will walk attendees through the monthly reporting requirements with ABC, and how to correctly complete and submit those reports. They'll also be available for questions, as a group or in private, should you have specific situations to run by them. This seminar is perfect for beginners and as a refresher for experienced report filers.     

There will be a break between this seminar and the Regulation Round Up. Due to the limited restaurant options in the area, we will have box lunches available for those who are interested. The box lunches are $10 each and you can order yours when you register for the ABC Records & Reporting 101 seminar. Both seminars are complementary. Click here to register for the Regulation & Rules Round Up and click here to register for the ABC Records & Reporting 101.   

Wine Bag Orders

One of the great member services VWA is able to offer is a discount on wine bags. We are now accepting orders for the white single-bottle wine bags with the Virginia First in Wine logo on them. Click here for the letter about the wine bag ordering and the order form. We also mailed out hard copies, look for them in your mailbox.

Payment is due at the time of your order. Orders are due by Friday, December 14, 2012. We only place the order once a year, so make sure to order enough to last you the whole year.

This year, we will have pick up locations at three wineries, as well as on Friday, February 22nd before the Wine Expo.

The Compliance Corner

By Mary Beth Williams  

Barrel Tastings

The issue of barrel tastings keeps coming up, so let's get some clarification on the issue. Wine can be served, but not sold, from carafes and decanters, so it can be poured from the barrel into a container less than 52 oz and then poured into customers' glasses from there.

If there is any fee associated with the tasting, then it is considered a sale of wine, rather than just service of wine. All wine SOLD must come from an original approved container. This would include tastings offered as part of a paid barrel tasting dinner or part of an event where an admission was charged, in addition to any situation where a tasting fee is charged. The best way to think of it is that if the tasting is only available to people who have paid any kind of fee, the wine is considered SOLD instead of just served. The VWA and VWC proposed regulatory changes that would exempt barrel tastings from the original approved container requirement, but in the meantime, you have a few options on how to get around this roadblock at this point: 1) get a COLA/label approval on the barrel itself; 2) get a COLA/label approval specifically used for the barrel tastings; or 3) if the wine is one for which you already have a COLA (ie. a new vintage of an existing product)/label approval, you can print labels (so long as the changes to the label are consistent with the allowable changes - see last Compliance Corner for guidance) and sell it under the existing label approval.   Options 2 and 3 have become more viable with the expanded list of label changes allowed without needing a new COLA.   

It's important to note that state excise and sales/use tax is due on all wine used in barrel tastings. Tastings done on site are exempt from federal tax, but make sure you keep track of the amount of wine used for tastings so that it can accurately reflected on your federal and state reports.

Mary Beth Williams is the President of Williams Compliance, a compliance services provider based in Hanover County, Virginia. For more information, contact Mary Beth at Marybeth@williamscompliance.com or (804) 445-2924.   

Woods Rogers Labor & Employment Seminars

For 31 years, Woods Rogers PLC has been providing the employers and business of Virginia with reliable, up-to-date information in the labor and employment field. This year the attorneys that Virginia has grown to trust will provide more resources for our attendees than ever before. With five locations throughout Virginia, and an agenda packed with valuable topics, we hope you'll be able to join us. The agenda includes topics like how to combat immigration issues, and techniques to handle an aggressive NLRB, as well as concerns like maximizing social media within ethical standards, and understanding unfair competition. This year, we're also including a specific section dedicated to provide you with a cheat sheet for the upcoming year. It will be a guide for the most significant, relevant actions you and your business may need to take this year. So go on-line, find the location nearest you, and sign up for the 2012 Woods Rogers Labor & Employment Seminar today.