Plug Into Our Business Platform
When you join Wine Foundry Guild®, you access a comprehensive platform to launch and grow your wine brand. We provide a turnkey winemaking program to build your brand portfolio with custom ultra-premium wines. You develop and market your wine brand to consumers across the country. Our platform handles the licensing, sales processing, order fulfillment, shipping logistics, tax payments and compliance services you need to grow a successful brand. We make a complex process feel seamless.
What Do I Need To Sell Wine Online
Becoming familiar with how to sell wine legally means learning about the licenses to acquire and paperwork to complete. Prepare some funding and personal time to complete all of the forms for your business.
Here are the forms and licenses required to start an online wine business:
If you have your own winery, consider selling your products wholesale. The wholesale industry requires familiarity with a number of processes as well. Gather the starting knowledge and strategies you need in our wholesale management guide.
What Is Legal As Far As Home Wine
Before we get too wrapped up in the legalities of selling your own wine, lets first talk about just making it.
As it turns out, the laws for this are pretty lax in most states.
Federal laws in the United States make it possible for households in the US to produce up to 200 gallons of alcoholic beverage per-year legally as long as they arent distilling. In other words, crafting beer, wine, mead, etc. is, for the most part, perfectly legal in most states.
Some states have passed laws that regulate it more than this but in many states, this is simply the law. And that makes wine-crafting a pretty easy thing to do if you are just doing it for yourself.
Wine is also a pretty easy thing to make in-general. So as it turns out, making it for yourself, sharing it with friends, and even giving it away as a gift isnt really an issue.
The issue arises when you try to sell it, trade it, or otherwise use it to make money.
Then, it becomes quite a complicated ordeal because this is illegal to do unless you obtain commercial brewing licenses and also obtain the necessary licenses to actually sell the wine once it is brewed.
As an example of how these laws usually look, lets take a look at one state that takes an unusually minimalistic approach to home-brewer laws Missouri.
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How To Start A Wine Label
A s a custom crush winemaking facility, a common question we get asked is, how do I start a wine label? Because this is so common, we wanted to provide a brief overview of some of the factors involved in this process.
If youve ever considered starting your own wine label, its likely that you dont know where to begin. Many first-time business owners might assume that you have to own your own winery to start a wine company, but that is not the case for many new labels. There are many components to consider when thinking about making your own wine, and we are here to help. If you are thinking of potentially starting your own wine label without the burden or expense of owning your own winery, here are some pertinent details to keep in mind.
Icipate In The Ttbs Screening Process
After filing your application, your submission and supporting documentation are entered into the TTBs tracking system. A TTB Wine Applications Unit Specialist will review your application and will call you about your application and to obtain any further information needed to complete your application. Subsequently, the TTBs Trade Investigations Division may undertake an on-site inspection of your wine operations. If appropriate, the TTB will then approve your application to start your wine business. Due to the complexity of this process, you might want to initially work through an approved bonded winery or bonded wine cellar until you are ready to seek approval for your own wine-making business.
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S For Setting Up A New Wine Brand
Did you know that there are currently over 7,000 wineries in the US? That number doesnt even begin to tell us just how many brands of wine come out of those thousands of winery sites but safe to say it is easily well over 10 times that amount. So just what is in a brand name when it comes to wine? And what do you need to know in going about setting one up if you are a winery or planning to start a wine business? There are specific steps you can follow as part of your research for creating that new wine brand you are so excited about that can save you from running into some potential road blocks down the road.
Step one: Do a search on the TTBs Public COLAs website. The cost of this? Your time. As the name implies this is a public website that can be searched by anyone wanting to look up label approval information, or in this case, do a fast & easy search to see if a brand name is already in use by a winery or wine business. The site address is: Once there simply enter the brand name you are planning to use in the Product Name box and then click on Search. Then peruse through the list that comes up focusing on the Brand Name column.
Step two: Do a trademark search using the US Patent & Trademarks Office website. Their site has handy video tutorials for doing this. This step can also be done with the assistance of a trademark specialist or attorney.
How To Make Moonshine With An Air Still
There is another option for distillation that falls somewhere in between running a pot still and freeze distillation: the air still.
Running an air still is a great way to distill without all the fuss. The Mist 1 Gallon Air Still is about the size of your kitchen kettle and just as easy to use. Its plug and play technology means that you can distill at the press of a button.
Air stills are also a great option for those who are worried about the possible safety risks of running a still indoors.
The air still is electric and uses a fan to cool the contents. It also requires no additional water to run the still. This makes it an ideal option for the boat, cottage or trailer.
An air still is a great option for those who want to distill commercial wines or sugar shine. Traditional grain moonshine would still need to be fractionated by temperature in order to isolate the ethanol.
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Understand What Makes Your Brand Unique
In order to become a national brand, you really need to have a unique story that you can share with fans, followers, customers, partners and investors. What, exactly, makes you different from every other brand on the shelves of retail wine stores? Consider for a moment that a large retail store might carry hundreds, if not thousands of different bottles of wine. When customers walk into your store, why are they going to choose your bottle of wine over every other?
The reality is that the same brand story that works on a local or regional level might not work on a national level. Stories about being a second-generation winery or even a third-generation winery are not nearly as unique as you might think, and may not have national appeal.
For example, say that you operate a third-generation winery in the Texas Hill Country and that youve drawn rave reviews from the local media. Based on that, you might decide that you have enough of a brand story to attract a national audience. But heres the thing part of the reason why you might have attracted such a passionate local customer base is because you were local. Supporting a local, family-owned winery might seem like the right choice to make, especially for young millennials in cities like Austin, Dallas or Houston. But what about potential consumers in Los Angeles or New York City? Are they also going to buy into this story of a Texas winery?
Apply For Federalapproval Of Your Wine
Before starting operations, the TTB requires impacted wine businesses to submit various applications with supportive documentation under the terms of the Internal Revenue Service Code and the Federal Alcohol Administration Act . In general, bonded wineries and bonded wine cellars must complete an Application to Establish and Operate Wine Premises. Bonded wineries, bonded wine cellars planning to blend wines, and custom crush wholesalers must also also submit an Application for Basic Permit under the FAA Act.
Your wine business can begin the application process online using the TTBs Permits Online system. The TTB application process seeks information about your business structure, signatory authority, wine-making premises, wine-making activities, trade name, grape designations, labelling approvals, and any alternating proprietor agreements. As part of the application process, you must provide a Wine Bond to underwrite your payment of federal taxes on your planned wine sales. Your application may also need to include environmental and water quality information to show compliance with applicable laws.
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Make A Unique And Attractive Wine Label At Home
The possible customization combinations are endless. Experiment with different layouts, color schemes, alignments, images, and text until youre completely satisfied that the design represents your wine in the best possible way. By taking full control of the design process yourself, you can be sure the finished product is everything you wanted it to be. Use Adobe Spark Post as a wine bottle label maker to save money and ensure your product gets the attention it deserves.
Who Should Consider Trying To Sell Their Own Wine
If you live in the United States, and are still thinking about making and selling your own wine, here are some general questions to ask yourself.
- Are you willing to pay for a commercial facility?
- Are you willing to purchase professional, commercial-grade supplies?
- Are you willing to pay for the licensing required to do it legally?
- Are you ready to go through all of the legal red-tape?
If you cannot answer yes to these questions, than odds are good that trying to sell your own wine is not going to really work out as a side hustle for you.
There are A LOT of people who sell their homemade wine anyway. You might here these people say things like
- Nobody is ever going to catch me
- My operation is so small the government wont even find out about it
- The government cant even prove that Im selling wine
- As long as Im not making very much money, Ill fly under the radar
- If I just trade my wine for other things, or receive donations in return for it, that doesnt count as selling
But each one of these statements is untrue. The simple fact of the matter is that, yes, some people might get away with selling homemade wine without the proper licensing for a while just like someone might get away with speeding or under-reporting their income for a while.
Avoiding unnecessary legal entanglements is the best idea for any entrepreneur or side-hustler!
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Where To Buy Winemaking Kits
The following online stores offer wine kits and wine making equipment for sale:
- Midwest Supplies has a huge variety of wine kits, and lots of equipment.
- Homebrewers Outpost is a good resource for everything from basic starter kits to specialized ingredients.
- E.C. Kraus offers wine kits for every level of wine making, whether youre using your fruit or theirs.
Pick The Right Distributors And Accounts
Now that youve set up a basis for success, its time for the fun part picking the right distributors and accounts that can help to fulfil your big plan of becoming a truly national brand. One important point to keep in mind is that picking the right distributor is like picking the right marriage partner the right choice will give you a lifetime of peace of mind. The wrong choice, though, could turn your life upside down.
In order to make sure that you are picking the right distributor, then, take time to find out as much as you can about the various options for a particular region or area. One simple question is to ask them how they view your business five years from now, in terms of distribution reach and volume. This is how you can see whether expectations are aligned, and whether or not this is really the right partner for the future.
Some brands, in fact, even go so far as to give each distributor a one-page survey to fill out. This is all about getting the right fit, and the answers to these questions can really help to guide your decision-making process. The process of meeting distributors and picking the right one will not happen overnight. At the very least, you need to be thinking in terms of a 90-day plan for how you plan to line up distribution.
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Alternative Models To Start A Wine Business
If youre not keen on investing so much capital into a full-blown winery, you can still assume a hands-on role in the wine business. Just consider an alternative business model, instead.
One option is to become a virtual winemaker, like Cannonball Wine Company, which started in 2006 in Healdsburg, California. Rather than shelling out millions for a vineyard and processing facility, Cannonball co-founder Yoav Gilat decided to build a brand with much less.
For many years, Gilat worked in hospitality before joining the Israeli army. He then moved to the U.K. for law school, and eventually moved to the Bay Area with his wife to earn his MBA from Berkeley.
In California, he met his Cannonball co-founder, Dennis Hill, who has been in the winemaking business for 35 years and was a top winemaker at Blackstone Winery. His other co-founder, Greg Ahn, is also a veteran winemaker in Sonoma County. Their goal, according to Gilat, was to create a really great wine under $20, while having some fun in the process.
The three began Cannonball as a virtual company they dont own a winery, or a vineyard. They dont even have a tasting room . Rather, Cannonball has existing family growers harvest their grapes, and then Cannonballs winemakers make the wine in rented equipment.
Now, the company has four brands under its belt Cannonball, Angels and Cowboys, High Dive and Astrolabe and Cannonball alone is sold in 47 U.S. and 30 international markets.
Wine Foundry Guild Winery Services To Grow A Small
- https://thewinefoundry.com/market-your-own-wine/
- Plug into our business platform. When you join Wine Foundry Guild®, you access a comprehensive platform to launch and grow your wine brand. We provide a turnkey winemaking program to build your brand portfolio with custom ultra-premium wines. You develop and market your wine brand to consumers across the country.
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Select Your Wine And Start Winemaking
Visit your favourite RJS Craft Winemaking retailer. They will help you choose the wine thats right for you from over 130 wine styles. You will start fermentation process by adding the winemaking ingredients to the juice. Your craft winemaking specialist will keep an eye on your wine as it develops.
Let Adobe Spark Be Your Wine Label Design Expert
Hone your creativity with the power of Adobe Spark Post. Explore professionally designed templates to get your wheels spinning or create your wine label from scratch. Establish a theme for your designs using photos, icons, logos, personalized fonts, and other customizable elements to make them feel entirely authentic. Duplicate designs and re-size them to create consistency across multiple types of assets. With Adobe Spark Post, its free and easy to make, save, and share your designs within minutes.
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How Do You Get Started If You Want To Own Your Own Private Label
The first step, say industry insiders, is to figure out the types of wines that your customers enjoy drinking and what the average price of the bottles they are ordering is. From there, you need to make a few projections about the growth projections of your business. You dont want to be ordering thousands of cases of wine, and then be stuck with dead inventory.
Also, since every label must denote the place of origin of the wine, the wines you select should be a natural fit for the restaurant in terms of region and style of wine. From there, its time to reach out to wineries that might potentially be interested in a deal. Some wineries are able to accommodate a wide range of order sizes – everything from 5 cases to 1000 cases – while other wineries prefer only to work on smaller or larger order sizes. Once youve narrowed down your choices, the vintner will work with you on every aspect of creating your own wine – down to the creation of the label and even the type of cork. There are also independent design companies specializing in designing wine labels, cases, and other promotional material.
They will design a label that meets the specifications of the country you want to sell it and the tier you want to sell the wine in. From there, all you have to do is place the order and youll soon have your private wine label, all without the time and expense of actually operating your own winery.
