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| Virginia Wineries Association Newsletter |
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| www.vawine.org | November 2012 |
| Association Offices:
701 E. Franklin Street, Suite 809
Richmond, VA 23219 |
804-592-3196 Phone
804-644-8762 Fax
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Mark your Calendar
Governor's Cup Entries Being Accepted
December 10-21, 2012
Wine Bag Orders Due
December 14, 2012
Regulation & Rules Round Up
December 18, 2012
ABC Records & Reporting 101
December 18, 2012
General Assembly Session Starts
January 9, 2013
Deadline for Dues Payment to receive Wine Expo Booth Fee Discount
January 15, 2013
Vine & Wine Day January 17, 2013
VVA Winter Technical Meeting
January 31- February 2, 2013 Governor's Cup Gala register here - February 21, 2013 VWA Membership Mtg. February 22, 2013 Wine Bag Pick Up at the Wine Expo February 22, 2013
Virginia Wine Expo February 23-24, 2013 Wineries Unlimited March 12-14, 2013 Vintage Virginia June 1-2, 2013 Visit our Calendar of Events for a full listing for the year.
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VWA Membership is More Valuable than Ever 
There are several benefits to being a VWA member. Silver and Gold level members have access to our Preferred Partners. Preferred Partners are members who provide special discounts to VWA members. Your total potential savings through our Preferred Partners is over $2,400. Click here to see a full list of our Preferred Partners. Please note that new Preferred Partners are updated regularly. In addition to the Preferred Partner discounts, as of 2013, as a Silver or Gold level member, you can receive a discount on your Virginia Wine Expo booth fee as long as your dues are paid in full and received by January 15, 2013. Gold members will receive 25% off their booth fees; silver members will receive 15% off their booth fees. You should be receiving renewal invoices in the mail shortly. If you are not currently a Silver or Gold level member, please complete this application and return it with your dues payment.
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Entries for the 2013 Governor's Cup Competition will be accepted starting December 10th. Click here for the letter and entry forms that were recently mailed out. Thanks again to the Virginia Vineyards Association and the Virginia Wine Board for their support! |
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Virginia Wineries Association Awards
In addition to announcing the winner of the Governor's Cup at the Virginia Wineries Association's Governor's Cup Gala on Thursday, February 21st, we will be presenting three other awards. We need your input to determine the recipient of the Gordon Murchie Lifetime Achievement Award, Wine Person of the Year and Legislator of the Year. Please take a moment to complete this survey online or by fax and provide any feedback. We will announce the winners in February.
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Land Lease for
meeting 51% quota
Remember that, for farm winery licensees, 51% of the fruit used in your annual production must come from fruit on land that the winery either owns or leases. Make sure that any leases are land leases, as opposed to leases for the harvest from 100 chardonnay vines, or even a lease for those 10 chardonnay vines themselves. You must be leasing THE LAND, or it is considered a grape purchase agreement as opposed to a lease for purposes of calculating this 51% quota.
See the attached sample leases: Vineyard Lease
Standard Lease
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Congratulations to Kirk Wiles of Paradise Springs Winery for his appointment to the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
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President's Report  Dear VWA members,
Thank you to all of you that came to the VWA Annual Meeting - we had nearly 150 people registered. It was wonderful to hit record numbers with our attendance this year. Please see the recap below for more information about what was discussed at the Annual Meeting. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a great success.
Mitzi Batterson
VWA President
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Regulation & Rules Round Up 
RESCHEDULED
December 18, 2012
Due to Hurricane Sandy, we have rescheduled the Regulation and Rules Round Up and ABC Records & Reporting 101 that was originally scheduled for October 30, 2012. The new date is Tuesday, December 18, 2012. The event is being held at Doukenie Winery in Northern Virginia.
From 10 AM - 12 PM, we will be holding a seminar entitled ABC Records & Reporting 101. Training will be provided by ABC on the required record-keeping and reporting processes. This seminar is perfect for beginners and experienced report filers.
From 1 PM - 3:30 PM, we will be holding the Regulation & Rules Round Up to answer your questions on some of the hot-button issues affecting Virginia wineries today. You can submit your questions anonymously, either before hand by emailing them to info@vawine.org, or bring them the day of the event. 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. Mary Beth Williams, author of "Compliance Corner" will be answering questions. Later after the closed-session, we will welcome Roger Stevens of the ABC to answer your questions submitted anonymously from an ABC standpoint to help you run your business in a manner compliant with the ABC laws.
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 sessions.
We maxed out our space with the last Round Up, make sure to register today for this complementary event. Click here to register for one or both sessions and order a lunch, if needed.
If you previously registered for the October 30, 2012 session(s), you do not need to register again, however if you are NOT able to attend PLEASE let us know.
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Wine Bag Orders
DEADLINE APPROACHING! 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. You also should have received hard copies for your convenience.
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.
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Commonwealth Quality  Alliance
There is a lot of great news to share with you about the Commonwealth Quality Alliance (CQA) program. First, the deadline for free membership has been extended until December 31, 2012. This means you have time to enter your wines and receive a free entry for your approved wines into the Governor's Cup competition. Last year, we had dozens of CQA-approved wines enter the Governor's Cup at no charge. Another new benefit is the CQA stickers. Once a wine has completed the approval process, we will send you stickers to apply to your wines. Finally, we were recently awarded a $30,000 marketing grant to further market and promote the CQA program. Click here to read about all of the great benefits of the CQA program. Here is recent press about the program.
As a reminder, the $170 per wine fee covers the chemical analysis, the sensory evaluation and the 2 day shipping to Enartis Vinquiry. Once approved, the marketing fee applies. Join today!
Get your wines in today to beat the rush!
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 The Compliance Corner By Mary Beth Williams Reporting, Brand Registrations, and Food Service, Oh My! It was good to get to meet so many of you at the VWA Annual Meeting. During the compliance session, we touched on a number of issues with industry-wide impact. We'll go into more detail on these and more issues at the Regulation and Rules Roundup at Doukenie in Northern Virginia on December 18, but I wanted to pass on the basics of some of the items we discussed at the meeting. Reporting - The monthly report you file with ABC is about to get easier. ABC has agreed that 1 Purchase Order per month will suffice, and the VWA has been working with ABC to create a streamlined, winery-specific report. A copy of that report can be found here. It is a concise, 1 page report, and essentially requires a total of liters sold for the month, calculation of tax liability, and the purchase order number that covers the month. This report and your Purchase Order will be the only 2 items that need to be submitted to the state each month. However, 2 things to note: 1) You do still have an obligation to keep a copy of the corresponding invoice ON SITE, but it is not included in the monthly report. 2) This report will become effective with the filing you do in January, so please use the current report for your December filing. ABC Product Registration and COLA Changes- As discussed in the July 2012 Compliance Corner, as of July 1, you can make a number of changes to your labels without needing to apply for a new COLA. A full list of those changes can be found here. The allowance that seems to have the broadest impact is that a change in alc % even across tax classes doesn't require a new COLA so long as it doesn't change the class/type of the wine. As a result, I'm recommending that clients use the generic "red wine" etc. instead of "red table wine" or "dessert wine", which indicate an alcohol %, on their labels so they can take advantage of this change. NOTE, however, that while you may not need a new COLA in this situation, your labels still have to have an accurate alc % on them, within the permitted tolerances of 1.5% for wines below 14% and 1% for wines above 14%. For COLA purposes, that 14% threshold no longer matters, but IT DOES STILL MATTER for labeling and taxation purposes. ABC confirmed that they will NOT require label revision submissions and fees for those changes permissible without obtaining a new COLA, with 2 exceptions: 1) if the appellation of your wine changes; and 2) if the stated varietals in your blend change. It's important to note that you don't need a new COLA or product registration if it's just the % of the stated varietals that change. For example, if the label on your red blend originally stated that the wine was: 40% CS, 40% Merlot, 10% CF, and 10% PV, and this year's vintage is made up of: 40% CS, 25% Merlot, 25% CF, and 10% PV, you don't need a new COLA or a new product registration. If your new blend is made up of 40% CS, 40% Merlot, 10% CF, and 10% Norton, it's considered a new product, and will need both a new COLA and a label revision at the state level. Food Service - We were able to get VDACS and VDH to better define what food service is permitted without needing additional licensure from VDH. A copy of that statement is attached here. We'll discuss these topics in more detail as well as other changing issues at the Regulation and Rules Roundup at Doukenie on December 18, so if you have any questions, please send them in and we'll try to address those as well. REMEMBER that ABC reps will be on hand for a step by step reporting session beginning at 10 am, and the Roundup will begin at 1 pm. 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. |
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VWA Annual Meeting
The VWA Ann ual Meeting was held on Tuesday, November 13th at Veritas Vineyards and Winery in Afton, VA. The meeting was a great success with nearly 150 people registered. Amy Ciarametaro of the Virginia Wine Marketing Office reviewed some of the projects the Wine Marketing Office has been working on, including the Wine Summit, strategic planning, the Virginia Winery Guides, promoting the Governor's Cup ® competition, handling media requests, FLITE tours, Wineries Unlimited, and the Commercial Grape Report. Amy also gave an overview of ongoing projects, including the Virginia Winery Guide for 2013, redesigning the Civil War label program, a new phase of the VirginiaWine.org website, promoting March Wine & Dine month and October by the Glass Month, building interest with wineries and trade in surrounding states, and sending surveys.
Following Amy was Dave Saunders of the marketing company Madison and Main. Dave conducted a lively marketing workshop on best practices for social media. Dave fielded many questions about social media sites and blogging. He also provided 5 strategies for social media marketing. We will be sending out Dave's presentation in later communications.
During the working lunch, the Annual Meeting was held. President Mitzi Batterson gave her President's Report detailing projects VWA has worked on this year and that are in the pipeline for the upcoming year. Mitzi gave background information on the Cooperative and encourage everyone to complete this Cooperative Survey. Mitzi also announced the date for the rescheduled Regulation & Rules Round Up - Tuesday, December 18, 2012. If you are not already registered, you can click here to register. Mitzi also announced the 6th Governor's Cup Case Seminar will be held during the VVA Winter Technical Meeting. Wineries Unlimited is returning to Richmond and will be March 12-14th; the organizers are offering a discount to VWA members.
The Committee Chairs also provided reports for each of their committees. Jeff Cooper of Cooper Vineyards gave an update of the financials for 2012 and 2013. Justin Rose of Rosemont of Virginia gave an update on the CQA program and reminded everyone that the membership fees for CQA will be waived until December 31, 2012 and any CQA-approved wine can enter the Governor's Cup® at no charge. Jim Turpin of Democracy Vineyards gave a report on the Membership Committee including initiatives to expand VWA membership to include cideries, wine stores and VVA members. Jeff Cooper and Dean Gruenburg of Prince Michel Vineyards gave updates on the Governor's Cup® Competition, the Wine Expo, and Vintage Virginia. Dean explained that despite the fact that VWA is no longer the beneficiary of the Wine Expo, VWA will support the event this year and the promoters will be offering a discount on booth fees to VWA members who pay their dues by January 15, 2013. Ann Heidig of Lake Anna Wine  ry gave an update on the Legislative Committee. The VWA Legislative Policy was reviewed and approved. Ann also detailed the Legislative Priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session. Katie Hellebush of the Virginia Wine Council gave an overview of issues of concern for the upcoming year. Finally, Randy Phillips of the VWDC gave an update on their recent hire of an Executive Director.
After the Annual Meeting, Mary Beth Williams of Williams Compliance & Consulting Group gave an update on regulation and reporting issues. Mitzi discussed the issues wineries are having with several counties. She also gave an update on POs in reporting, COLAs and product registration, food service at wineries, barrel tastings, FDA registrations and land lease issues.
Finally, Ann Heidig, Jim Turpin and Delegate Bobby Orrock hosted a panel on Vine & Wine Day which will be held on January 17, 2013. Ann, Jim and Delegate Orrock described to the attendants what to expect at the General Assembly and during Vine and Wine Day.
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Preferred Partner Spotlight 
GHT Insurance
Are your insurance premiums skyrocketing?!...Or, are you being "non-renewed" altogether? Most importantly, do you get the feeling that your current agent doesn't understand your business of running a winery along with all the risks that come with it? If the answer is "yes" then you need to call us. We have the only insurance program for General Liability and Property coverage that gives a discount to VWA members. Not currently a VWA member? We can sign you up! In most cases the savings you get on the insurance more than pays the $300 Silver level annual membership fee.
Still not sure if you should reach out to us? Please read what some of our clients have said about us:
"I have been extremely pleased with the all-around service I receive from GHT Insurance! They stay on top of my needs, from speedy turnaround times on Certificate of Insurance requests to keeping up with our changes like properly insuring new equipment, etc. It's nice to talk with a live person to give me immediate attention when I need it. They also consolidated our winery, farm, and residence into one insurance program." Brooke Willard - King Family Vineyards
"We attended 60 festivals in 2012, so getting Certificates of Insurance sent out in a timely fashion was crucial. GHT's staff was extremely fast in processing my Certificates. Sometimes they were sent less than an hour after my request!" Janette Evans - Mattaponi Winery
"I was happy to save money when I moved my insurance to GHT. But I was really happy about the way they handled my recent claim from the Derecho storm that hit us last summer. We were out of power for awhile with extensive trellis damage. The adjuster showed up within an hour after I reported the claim to GHT! The adjuster was in constant communication with me and swiftly saw the claim through to the end. THAT kind of service is what I pay premiums for." Randy McElroy, Jr. - First Colony Winery
We understand the risks associated with wineries. We get what you do! There's also a pretty good chance we can save you money on your premiums, which always helps. For you folks that attend festivals, we understand the need for speedy turnaround times on Certificates of Insurance. We're also there in your time of need, when the unexpected claim happens to you.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Patricia Hughett
GHT Insurance Agency, Inc.
patricia@ghtinsurance.com
888-520-5293
804-512-6295 (cell)
*We also handle health and life insurance. Is your Winemaker a "key" person to your success? Consider key person life insurance coverage.*
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Please join us in thanking the following sponsors of the VWA Annual Meeting
Reserve
BMI
Farm Family Insurance Company
GHT Insurance Agency, Inc.
STANPAC
Select
Barrel Oak Winery
Jacey Vineyards
Kaufman Container
King Family Vineyards
M. G. Newell Corporation
Strother Law Offices, PLC
Williams Compliance & Consulting Group
Estate
Cross Keys Vineyards
Delfosse Vineyards and Winery
Kendall Farms
New Kent Winery
Saude Creek Vineyards
Saxco Canada
Vineyard & Winery Management
Wm. R. Hill & Co. Inc.
WineWare Software
Zemplen Barrels
Also, join us in thanking the following companies for donating items to the gift bags that were provided to each Annual Meeting attendee:
Jacey Vineyards
Kaufman Container
Kendall Farms
MG Newell Corporation
Strother Law Offices, PLC
Williams Compliance & Consulting Group
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