June 23rd – WASHINGTON, D.C. — California vintners were in Washington, D.C. this week for Wine Institute’s 38th annual meeting. The Wine Institute delegation met with legislators and regulators to discuss issues critical to a vibrant wine sector including the upcoming Farm Bill, federal funding priorities including smoke exposure research and specialty crop programs, and needed reforms to the crop insurance program. Ensuring adequate funding for the sector’s primary regulator, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), was also a top priority.
“We have a range of opportunities and challenges, and face-to-face discussions with our vintners and key policymakers are essential to supporting growth for thousands of wineries in all 50 states,” said Robert P. Koch, Wine Institute president and CEO. “First and foremost, we need to ensure that adequate federal resources are provided for key Farm Bill programs as well as for our primary regulator, the TTB.”
The delegation met with more than two dozen representatives and senators from across the country. Meetings were held with senior members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, all of which have jurisdiction over key wine industry priorities.
California vintners had the opportunity to showcase the best of their wines during a reception in the Great Hall at the Library of Congress attended by more than 300 members of congress, congressional staff and executive branch officials.
With 4,800 bonded wineries, California is responsible for 81% of our nation’s wine and is the world’s fourth-largest producer. California wineries have a significant impact on the U.S. economy, generating $170 billion in annual economic activity, supporting more than 1.1 million jobs and paying $59.9 billion in wages annually and $21.9 billion in taxes.
About Wine Institute
Established in 1934, Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy group for more than 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses that initiates and advocates state, federal and international public policy to enhance the environment for the responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine. The organization works to enhance the economic and environmental health of the state through its leadership in sustainable winegrowing and by showcasing California’s wine regions as ideal destinations for food and wine travelers to the state. To learn more, visit wineinstitue.org.
