Here’s a timely reminder about the new California recycling requirements going into effect January 1, 2024. Registration with CalRecycle. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to register with CalRecycle as a beverage manufacturer and/or beverage distributor, and make any changes to your POS and accounting systems needed to keep track of the fees that are your responsibility (described below). You also need to make sure that your POS system calculates the CA sales tax on the total retail price of wine sold, including the CRV fee. CRV fees. If you sell wine or spirits to California consumers and/or retailers, you are considered a “beverage distributor” under CA’s recycling law. Beginning January 1 you must collect CRV fees on all bottle sales to California customers. CRV fees are $0.05/container for containers under 24 fluid ounces, $0.10/container for containers 24 fluid ounces or more, and $0.25 for bladders and boxes of any size. You will re

The Maine legislature recently made two changes affecting all wineries that hold a Maine Wine Direct Shipper license. The new law makes a significant adjustment to the annual shipping limits to Maine consumers. Previously, the law allowed shipment of up to 12 cases (containing no more than 9 liters each) to any one recipient address in a calendar year. The amended law allows no more than 9 liters per shipment, and no more than 12 shipments to any one recipient address in a calendar year. The maximum amount that may be shipped to any one address per year is the same as before, but the state now limits the size of each shipment and the number of shipments that may be made to each recipient address. This means that larger orders will have to be divided into multiple shipments, and shipments smaller than 9 liters will effectively reduce the total amount that a Maine consumer will be able to receive that calendar year. Additionally, wineries can now ship smaller containers to customers in

Amendments to California’s bottle bill became law October 13, 2023. The new legislation (SB 353) made three important changes to the requirements for recycling wine and spirits containers in California that industry members need to know about. The first and most important change is that wine and spirits containers filled and labeled before January 1, 2024 are now permanently exempt from deposit labeling requirements. The earlier legislation (SB 1013), which added wine and spirits containers to California’s recycling program starting next year, required mandatory deposit (CRV) labeling of all wine and spirits containers sold at retail after June 30, 2025. That labeling requirement was a big headache for the wine industry, since it is common practice to age wine after bottling for extended periods of time. Participants at all levels of the industry would have been impacted by the difficulty of adding newly required statements to wine that had been bottled and labeled in th

Beverage alcohol suppliers know that it takes teamwork to increase sales and visibility in the marketplace. Wholesalers have an important role to play, but to achieve your goals you need a creative marketing concept and strong sales support in the field. The important question is, how will your sales team tackle that challenge? If your salespeople go beyond simple phone calls and meetings with wholesalers -- if they want to call on retailers and participate in promotional events -- most states will require them to hold a license. The Digest of Wine and Spirits Law has the information you need to know before your sales reps hit the streets. Is a license required, and under what circumstances? What are the requirements to get the license? In some states, residency or an additional company license are required. Digest subscribers can quickly check the need for sales licenses nationwide in the Digest’s Summary by State for Suppliers of Wine and Spirits table, then proceed to select

Recycling of wine and spirits containers in California starts January 1, 2024. Although redemption labeling isn’t mandatory until July 1,2025, wineries, distilleries, and importers are advised to start adding required label statements to all products released after January 1. Beginning July 1, 2025, California retailers will be prohibited from selling wine and spirits containers that don’t have the required redemption labeling. Label designers and industry decision-makers have a lot of options to consider. The redemption statement can be worded in five different ways: CALIFORNIA REDEMPTION VALUE CA REDEMPTION VALUE CALIFORNIA CASH REFUND CA CASH REFUND CA CRV No matter which option you choose, the entire statement must appear on one line, and may not include a monetary value. The law also prescribes legibility standards, depending on the type of container used. For glass or plastic containers, the statement must appear in lettering at least 3/16 inch in height. The type

Suppliers of redeemable containers for sale in California must register with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) by January 1, 2024 to participate in the program, and all suppliers are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Registration can be done online or on paper. When you register, you must provide basic information on the business, and indicate whether the company is registering as a Beverage Manufacturer, a Beverage Distributor, or both. Before making that choice, you should be aware that the way CalRecycle defines the terms “manufacturer” and “distributor” is different than commonly used in the wine industry. You’ll need to understand their terminology in order to do the registration correctly: Beverage Manufacturers. Companies that fill redeemable containers for ultimate sale in California and companies that import redeemable containers into California must register as Beverage Man

Senate Bill 1013, passed last year by the California legislature, added wine and spirits containers to California's recycling program beginning January 1, 2024. In anticipation of that day, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), California’s agency administering the program, has begun educating members of the wine and spirits industry about how the program will affect them.  Here are the highlights:  Registration. Companies that bottle, import, or sell wine and spirits to be offered for sale in California must register with CalRecycle before January 1, 2024. CalRecycle recommends registering as soon as possible.  Labeling. A California redemption statement will be required on wine and spirits labels for sale in California. Wine and spirits containers will be recycled in California beginning January 1, 2024, but the law allows a grace period before redemption labeling is mandatory. Here are the dates you need to know:  The