CHATEAU Z VINEYARD
is now
Amherst County, Virginia's, second farm winery!
is now
Amherst County, Virginia's, second farm winery!
I'm back again after a long absence dealing with paperwork, forms, agents, etc., but I can now announce that I am fully permitted and licensed to sell my wine made in my home cellar! The Alcohol, Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau permit was issued on October 12, and my Virginia Alcohol Control Board license was issued on 12/1. Now to get the new wine ready and bottled for sale starting next summer. I plan to sell at the Lynchburg, VA, Community Market on Main Street on Saturdays during August, September and December, 2008. There won't be tasting available, but I will fully guarantee every bottle for a complete refund if the unused wine is returned to me for testing. The wines I'm getting prepared include:
REDS:
Chambourcin - Dark red, oaky and tannic. A real monster dry red wine with Colobel for color.
Matohe - Super dark red, oaky and tannic. Made from summer grape hybrids. Amazing!
Wine King - Made from the Wine King grape. Dry red, oaky and very dark. Super fruity.
Gneiss Red - Pronounced "Nice," this is a field blend reminiscent of Bordeaux wines.
Kuhlmann Blend - A blend of Marechal Foch and Lucie Kuhlmann. A fine Burgundy style wine.
WHITES:
Villard Blanc - Dry, white and subtly oaky. A perfect replacement for Chardonnay.
Mylonite White - Steely dry, white wine made from Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Chardonel and Vivant.
Vixen Gris - The "gray Vixen!" A semi-sweet blend of white and pink labruscana grapes. Subtle and lovely.
Muscadine - Sweet white muscadine wine from Tara, Fry, Golden Isles and other muscadines.
ROSÉS:
Blue Quartz Rosé - Semi-sweet rose made from Delaware, Sheridan, NY Muscat and Steuben grapes.
I hope to see you at the Lynchburg Market!
5 comments:
Congrats on your new winemaking endeavor. Good luck. You may wish to talk a bit about the ins and outs of selling wine at a farmers market. Of course, that may only apply in Virginia, but perhaps others could use the information.
I'd also say that more photos of your vines in full growth and after veraison would be in order.
Regards,
Pat H. in South Carolina
Pat,
Go to www.chateau-z.com and view the "virtual vineyards" where there are TONS of photos of my grapes and chemistry to boot!
CA
How difficult was it to get permission to sell your wines? Lots of red tape or was it rather painless?
Matt,
Not terribly bad. Kind of like filing your federal income tax return without knowing anything about it to start with. All the information you need for the federal (ATTB) application is on their website at http://www.ttb.gov/ . Spend lots of time reading their FAQs and various tips on getting started. The Fed level isn't too bad. Difficulty starts with the state level permitting which is different in every state. There is almost certainly a state alchol website for MN that has all the forms and lots of startup information on it. Local wineries can give you tips, but they don't have time to help new applicants sort things out. They can help most with what local government requires for winery permitting. It is the bureaucrat's job to help on the state and federal level. In general the bureaucrats are very helpful if you give them time and patience and don't get in their face. Just remember that the law is the law and there is not much you can do about it. You just have to take your time and wade through it like everybody else. Don't get your panties in a wad and you'll have your licenses in order to sell wine in a year or two. Definitely give the Feds 9 months and the state another 9 months in your planning.
Good luck!
Cliff
Thanks for the info, Cliff. 1.5 years doesn't seem so bad, compared to how long you have to wait for some wines ;)
I'll keep that info in mind, though I've got to actually finish making some wines (and hope they are good) first!
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