Hooray! Product registration for Kentucky DTC shipping is now available! This is the last requirement to fulfill before a winery can legally ship wine directly to consumers in Kentucky. Wineries holding the new Kentucky DTC license can now register their products by logging into PRO (Product Registration Online) and entering their KY shipper license number. The process is fast and there is no charge for the registrations. Here's what else you need to know:  Wineries that have already registered their products for sale to a KY wholesaler will need to re-register those products under their KY shipper license (similar to the requirements in GA, where products need to be separately registered for sales though the wholesale and DTC channels). The previous wholesale registration does not cover DTC sales.  Wineries with products marketed at wholesale in KY by another supplier, such as a national marketing company, must obtain their own registrations for the products th

Kentucky's new DTC license applications became available in December and many wineries have begun the process and received the new license. But the last step before they can legally ship to KY consumers -- product registration -- is still in the works. Kentucky expects their new product registration process to come online later this week. They will roll it out on the PRO platform. Notifications will be sent out once the service is ready. The approval time for PRO registrations is normally very short. Unlike wholesale product approvals in KY, DTC registrations won't be delayed pending acceptance by a wholesaler. So we have our fingers crossed that KY DTC label registrations will process quickly once they're available. And since there is no fee to register a label for sale to Kentucky wholesalers, we are also hoping there will also be no fee to register labels for DTC sales.  We understand that wineries will need to enter their KY DTC license number as part of the p

Since the passage of Kentucky's new DTC law last summer, we have all been eagerly awaiting the day when wineries can begin shipping to Kentucky consumers. While applications are now being accepted and some licenses have been issued, early applicants have hit a couple of unexpected speed bumps. CSA and The Digest team have been talking with Kentucky officials and with our hardworking colleagues at the Wine Institute in an effort to pave a smoother road for those who come later. What are the speed bumps?  1. Proof of legal possession of premises. The DTC application requires a lease or deed proving that the applicant has control over the licensed premises. This is an issue for AP wineries: They do not have a lease; their occupancy is documented by an AP agreement -- and the KY ABC has rejected AP agreements submitted with applications. Stay tuned; the Wine Institute is now working to resolve the issue. 2. Product registration. Although it has not been widely publicized, product