New Regulations Coming!

By Doug Fabbioli New state representatives are coming to Richmond, and discussions have started about the laws regulating restrictions on farm wineries here in Virginia. The law was actually crafted with major input and approval from the Virginia Wineries Association to protect the integrity of the wine industry. The changes have a 5-year period to get wineries in compliance and there is no grandfather rule. We are 3 years into this transition period so changes are beginning to happen. The goal is to keep farming in the Virginia farm wine industry. Over the past decade or so, several farm winery licenses have been approved for venues and businesses that are not actually farming. These venues end up being businesses in the countryside with no connection between the land and the products that they serve. The main regulation that will affect some operations is the requirement to have 3 acres of crops that go into your products. This level is where most businesses will land. They can lease

by oldtowncrier · source ↗