Join Vineyard Team and Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance for a focused half-day 2026 Industry Update designed to help you navigate what’s happening now—and what’s coming next! Hear directly from industry experts as they break down the trends, risks, and opportunities shaping grape growing in 2026. 📅 Wednesday, May 20 | 9:00 am-12:00 pm; tickets include lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm ➡️ at Springhill Suites in Atascadero 🎟️ Reserve your spot* >>> https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026tailgatesevents/event/2026-industry-update/ --- Event sessions include: 📊Grape Market Update & Industry Outlook Get clarity on what’s happening in the grape market and what it means for your operation: - Key trends shaping pricing and demand - Vineyard removals and supply outlook - What to expect in the next 12+ months Speakers: Audra Cooper & Eddie Urman (Turrentine Brokerage) --- 💰 Grants & Funding Opportunities Panel Learn how to access and successfully use available funding: - Where to

In March 2026, the TTB issued guidance on the use of AI-generated imagery in alcohol beverage advertising (read it here). The short version: AI-generated images used in alcohol marketing must comply with existing labeling and advertising regulations, including accurate representation of the product. This sounds obvious. But there's a nuance worth understanding if you're choosing how to produce your product imagery this year. The guidance applies broadly to any imagery categorized as AI-generated. The practical question it raises is how closely your vendor's process is anchored to your actual product. There's a meaningful difference between two approaches. A tool that generates a "wine bottle" from a text prompt or a rough photo produces something invented. A plausible bottle, not a representation of your real label, your specific closure, or your actual container. Whether it looks convincing is a separate question from whether it accurately represents your pro

For wine and spirits professionals, compliance isn’t optional—it’s essential. Did you know that compliance expertise can be right at your fingertips with The Digest of Wine and Spirits Law? Here’s why you need a subscription: Saves Money The Digest offers the most cost-effective compliance help out there—less than $100/month, and multi-user discounts are available. It’s a small investment for big peace of mind. Saves Time No more need to sift through legal resources to find the laws and regulations you’re looking for. Check out the Recent Updates list when you login or opt to receive periodic emails summarizing the latest updates. Shows What’s Changed Easily see what’s changed! The Digest’s compare function highlights updates so you can stay on top of important revisions. Provides Quick Answers The Digest is designed to be user friendly and easy to navigate, allowing you to find information you need in seconds. Customized rep

New state laws governing the alcoholic beverage industry go into effect frequently. Unless you happen to see a public announcement, how do you find out about these changes, and whether they impact the way you do business in the state? The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law makes it easy. The Digest is updated throughout the year, as laws change. A public listing of recent updates is available on The Digest’s home page. From there, subscribers can view the updated article, marked up to show the changes. Watch Corky, The Digest’s animated assistant, demonstrate how this works. Subscribe to The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law to take advantage of its many powerful features that make it an indispensable research tool for industry professionals. For a demonstration of The Digest, view the video, or contact us to schedule a live screen-share demo. Visit our website or give us a call: 800-400-1353.

California has generated considerable excitement in the industry by offering a DTC permit allowing craft distillers across the country to ship their products directly to consumers in California, one of the country's largest retail markets. Since COVID, California craft distillers have had a temporary direct shipping privilege, which ends 12/31/2025. California’s new Type 94 Direct Shipper Permit will allow spirits direct shipping for both in-state and out-of-state craft distillers. CA ABC will accept applications starting December 15, 2025, and will issue permits effective January 1, 2026. Here's what craft distillers need to know about this new permit; those located outside of California should consider these requirements before jumping on this opportunity: The permit is only available to distillers producing 150,000 gallons or less per year, of which sixty-five percent (65%) must be of their own production. The permit will expire on 12/31/2026 and cannot be renewed unl

The California legislature recently amended the California recycling labeling requirements for wine and spirits containers, making it significantly easier for wineries and distilleries to comply. The new law, AB 720, extended the deadlines for complying with the labeling requirements and authorized the use of QR codes for CRV compliance. Here are the specifics: The deadline by when all wine and spirits containers in the marketplace must have CRV labeling has been extended a year, from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026. The cut-off date for the permanent exemption of already labeled containers from CRV requirements has been extended 18 months, from January 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. Now, any containers filled and labeled without CRV markings before July 1, 2025 will not need any additional labeling to be compliant, even if sold after July 1, 2026. Wineries and distilleries may now use half-inch high QR codes for CRV compliance. This creates an important precedent for other states to follow. W

Since 2010, DH Wine Compliance has been helping wineries across the U.S. navigate the complexities of federal and state compliance. Founded by CEO and compliance consultant Drea Helfer, the firm has grown into one of the nation’s largest compliance providers — not only because of its expertise, but because of its commitment to exceptional customer service. At DH Wine Compliance, culture is everything. “When our team is happy and supported, they go the extra mile for our winery clients,” says Helfer. That philosophy has shaped a service model designed around collaboration, responsiveness, and anticipating client needs before they become challenges. Trusted by Wineries of All Sizes Whether managing licenses, reports, or navigating multi-state distribution, wineries rely on DH Wine Compliance for peace of mind. “Compliance is like taxes — it’s critical, complicated, and best left to experts,” says Helfer. “Our job is to take that weigh

Wineries holding a Maine Direct Shipper of Wine License may have recently received correspondence from the ME Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) urging them to either comply with the DEP’s new recycling requirements right away or cancel their license. The California Wine Institute met with the agencies involved and confirmed that neither the ME Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage & Lottery Operations (BABLO) nor the DEP will take action against DTC licensees that have not fulfilled the recycling requirements, as long as they do not ship to Maine consumers. For holders of a ME DTC license, we recommend keeping the license in place, but not shipping direct to consumers in ME until the issues are worked out. The DEP has acknowledged the problems and is currently working on several possible proposals to potentially ease the requirements in 2026. The DEP is also seeking public comment, and has posted information on how to comment on their recycling program on this webpage. We

DTC product registrations are now available via Product Registration Online (PRO) for those holding the new Arkansas Wine Direct Shipping Permit. Please note: if PRO requires selecting a wholesaler during the registration process, the license is not being recognized as a DTC license. This can be corrected by AR ABC’s staff. Email them using the contact information provided in PRO. Subscribers to The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law have easy access to important state updates, which include citations to relevant regulations. For a demonstration of The Digest, view the video, or contact us to schedule a live screen-share demo. Visit our website or give us a call: 800-400-1353.

So far this year three additional states—Arkansas, Mississippi, and most recently Delaware—have approved the issuance of licenses allowing DTC wine sales. Here is a brief overview of these new licenses: Arkansas The new Arkansas Wine Direct Shipping Permit went into effect on August 5, 2025. Older AR Wine Shipping Permits were automatically converted to the new permit type on that date without requiring any application or additional fees. Registration of labels to be shipped DTC is required via Product Registration Online (PRO) before shipping can commence under the new permit. Any labels that are registered for sales at wholesale in AR are considered also registered for DTC. However, at the time of this posting, the PRO system does not allow DTC-only product registrations to be completed. We are monitoring the status and will post an update once DTC label registrations can be successfully submitted. Mississippi The MS Alcoholic Beverage Control is now issuing the new Direc