There are currently 150 Congressional Wine Caucus members in the House and Senate,
and once the election is settled, WineAmerica will work with the CWC to recruit additional legislators.
By Jim Trezise, President, WineAmerica
On November 5, we the people will elect a new President, House of Representatives and Senate. At this point, no one knows who will win, but there is one thing we know for sure: the Congressional Wine Caucus will continue championing the American wine industry.
On September 25, 2024, WineAmerica and the Congressional Wine Caucus co-hosted an American Wine Reception in the Longworth House Office Building to officially launch the Come Over October celebration of wine. It was a reminder that wine is produced and consumed in all 50 states, fuels the American economy and brings people together — just as on that very day right after the bipartisan vote to keep the government open. Now that’s something to celebrate!
Created in 1999, the Congressional Wine Caucus (CWC) is a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators who protect the interests of the national wine community from grape to glass. The two co-chairs, Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), not only come from the largest wine states, but also major wine regions (Napa, Sonoma, Columbia Valley). And they are each grape growers themselves. Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and the co-creator of Come Over October, interviewed the two co-chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus during the tasting.
There are currently 150 CWC members in the House and Senate, and once the election is settled, WineAmerica will work with the CWC to recruit additional legislators. Why not? Of all the caucuses on Capitol Hill, the Wine caucus is clearly the most fun!
Boosting the Bottom Line of Wine
Just as we need a good climate in which to grow good grapes that make fine wine, we need a good business climate to grow our industry. We can only react to the climate nature provides each year, but we can help shape the business climate because it is created by people — specifically legislators — whom we can educate. That’s opportunity!
That’s what WineAmerica does, in conjunction with its State and Regional Associations Advisory Council (SRAAC), which includes about 40 grape and wine associations from throughout the country. With winery and association members from 45 states, WineAmerica can go into 90 Senate offices and say we represent their constituents when it comes to issues related to grapes and wine. That’s reach!
WineAmerica’s Michael Kaiser, executive vice president and director of government affairs (a.k.a. lobbyist) takes the lead on all this, communicating with the CWC and legislative offices on a daily basis. But the highlight of each year is the May “fly-in,” when WineAmerica members from across the country descend on Washington, D.C., for two days to meet with their representatives and senators. This year, about 100 meetings were scheduled. That’s power!
Tangible Results
- Excise tax reductions
- Opposition to tariffs
- Wildfire relief
- Combatting major vineyard pests
- Export promotion
- Research funding
- Farm Bill provisions
- Dietary Guidelines process
- USPS Shipping proposal
This is just a sampling of the CWC’s successes in boosting the bottom line of wineries across the nation and, in particular, small wineries. For example, since January 2018 the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) has saved money for wineries of all sizes (see chart), but the largest tax credit ($1.00 per gallon) is applied to the first 30,000 gallons, followed by 90 cents for the next 100 gallons, and 53.5 cents for every gallon above 130,000.
Smaller wineries also benefit significantly from the Market Access Program (MAP) funding for export promotion, without which foreign sales would be well beyond their means. Value added grants, protection against pests such as the Spotted Lanternfly, and research funding also protect and enhance the viability of small wineries, in particular.
Representatives Thompson and Newhouse have also had our back on the hottest issue today — Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) — by getting well over 100 of their colleagues to sign a letter to USDA and HHS asking for a suspension of the current process. In addition, Representative Newhouse has introduced the USPS Shipping Equity Act to let the postal service ship wine (and spirits and beer) directly to consumers, just as FedEx and UPS do already. This would increase competition and open up rural areas to DtC commerce.
All of these issues are WineAmerica priorities, spelled out in our annual Government Affairs Handbook, so it is clear that we have a solid relationship with the CWC.
Quiet Progress
Wine marketing is loud. Lobbying is quiet. There’s nothing nefarious about that; it’s simply a process of developing position papers, building coalitions, attending meetings, counting votes and repeating all that for the year or more that it takes to get legislation passed.
But just because this work is quiet doesn’t mean it’s not happening, and anyone who maintains that the wine industry isn’t well represented by the Congressional Wine Caucus, WineAmerica and other organizations is woefully uninformed and spreading misinformation harmful to our industry (and the legislators dedicated to helping us).
The best way to always know what’s going on, and to make a real contribution to the wine community’s future, is to join WineAmerica and get involved. We have the information and infrastructure to get things done.
Whatever happens in this election, it is reassuring that the Congressional Wine Caucus will continue to be on our side.
Cheers!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jim Trezise
Jim Trezise is president of WineAmerica (WA), the only national wine industry association in the United States. WA is a 500-member strong organization that encourages the growth and development of American wineries and winegrowing through the advancement and advocacy of sound public policy. Membership is encouraged to support the important work of WA, which benefits all U.S. wineries. Go to https://wineamerica.org/ for more information.
