Winery owners say red tape delays shipping

Local farm winery owners have been looking forward to the day they would be able to ship their products to customers in the state of Georgia. Even though the new farm wine bill allowing them to do so went into effect July 1, they are still waiting.

“The state is making it ridiculously difficult to obtain the license,” says Brannon Boegner, assistant wine maker and vineyard manager for Wolf Mountain Vineyards.

Boegner says the state is requiring vineyards to “completely redo all the paperwork” in order to get a license to ship. It's the same paperwork, he says, his family filed to get their original license six years ago.

Farm wineries have already waited more than two years for the ability to take orders by phone and email from loyal customers in-state. State Rep. Amos Amerson sponsored a farm winery bill two years ago. The bill passed both the House and the Senate but was vetoed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

This year the bill was reintroduced and Perdue allowed it to go into effect.

“This year,” Amerson says, “we couched it in terms the Governor could agree with. It was a farm bill, an economic development bill and a tourist bill, and the Governor is for all of those things.”

“We're very grateful to Amos. He's been our champion,” says Sharon Paul, who owns and operates Three Sisters Vineyards with her husband, Doug. Despite the involved process, she says, “In the long run it will be worth it.”

One of the significant effects Paul sees for the future is the ability to market their products through wine clubs and for special events. Three Sisters offers bottles of wine with special labels for special occasions, such as weddings.

“We've already had calls last week from people asking about our private labels,” she says.

“It's the most significant thing to happen since I've been growing grapes,” says Craig Krietzer of Frogtown Cellars. “It puts the state of Georgia in-step with a lot of other states. Before, we were at a disadvantage. Out of state wineries could do what we couldn't do. They could sent 50 cases of wine into Georgia with very little paperwork, and very little chance of being caught for not following the rules. This gives us an even playing field.”

Or it will, once the licenses have been issued.

“It'll happen,” Boegner says, “but the process is taking a lot longer than it should. Hopefully, by August.”