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M O R E F A Q SM O R E F A Q S
ABOUTABOUT
WHY IS THE WINE PRESERVE BEING CREATED? WHY NOW?Currently, wine industry marketing is funded through various channels, including events, grants,sponsorships, and membership dues to the Vintners Association. The ambitions of the industry
continue to outpace the funding available. The Wine Preserve is the most effective, efficient, andinfluential solution to create long-term, meaningful and stable funding for promoting the entire wineregion. Why now? Competition for wine tourism has never been greater. SBC wines have gained inreputation and recognition, but the sales and visitation do not match the exceptional quality of the
product. It is time to change that dynamic.
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINE PRESERVE
FOR MORE INFO : SBCOUNTYWINES .COM /SANTA -BARBARA -WINE -PRESERVE
The Santa Barbara County Wine Preserve is a Wine BusinessImprovement District (BID) created to provide funding for Santa Barbara
County wine, winery & vineyard promotions. A 1% assessment on Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales that may be passed to the
consumer funds marketing and education programs.
WHICH WINERIES WILL BE INVOLVED? IS PARTICIPATION REQUIRED?
There are several wine regions seeking to create aWine BID, but none have been formed yet. You have
probably seen a BID in action before. Visit SantaBarbara, Visit Santa Ynez Valley, Explore Lompocand Discover Santa Maria Valley are all Tourism
BIDs that charge a small fee on hotel stays to fund their marketing efforts.
The Wine Preserve (BID) is funded by a 1% feecharged on all DTC sales that incur CA sales
tax. This includes wine, tasting fees,merchandise and food, events, and wine clubs.
All Santa Barbara County wineries andvineyards with Direct-To-Consumer sales will
pay into the assessment. They will bemembers of the new district, funded by the
Wine Preserve. No assessed member will paymembership dues.
Legally, any Business Improvement District(BID) requires all businesses within thespecified industry (e.g. hotels, wineries, etc.)to participate. Each city, as well as theCounty, will vote on joining the WinePreserve.
The winery collects the fee as part of the normalcustomer transaction. A third-party accountingfirm then collects the fee from the winery anddistributes it to the Wine Preserve, keeping allinformation confidential. The County has the rightto audit the system and would do so through thethird-party accounting firm.
ARE THERE OTHER WINE BIDS? WHO DECIDES TO CREATE THE BID?
WHO FUNDS THE BID? HOW ARE FUNDS COLLECTED?
The majority of an assessed industry decides topetition to create a BID. In our case, the district isSanta Barbara County and the majority will becalculated on total DTC revenue. Each winery isweighted by their contribution to the total. Once50%+ of the represented revenue is reached, thedistrict may move forward with formation.
90% 10%
FUNDINGFUNDING
ADVOCACY
FUNDS RAISED BYEVENTS & NON-
WINERYMEMBERSHIP
REVENUE
Salaries
27.9%
Overhead & Reserve
18.6%
Marketing Agency
11.4%
Digital Advertising
10.2%
Visitor Center
8.7%
Marketing Materials
8.5%
Social Media
4.8%
PR Firm
4.8%
App Development
1.5%
Salaries
27.9%
Overhead & Reserve
18.6%
Marketing Agency
11.4%
Digital Ads
10.2%
Visitor Center
8.7%
Marketing Materials
8.5%
Social Media
4.8%
PR Firm
4.8%
App Development
1.5%
PROMOTIONS
P R O M O T I O N S B U D G E TP R O M O T I O N S B U D G E T
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINE PRESERVE
FOR MORE INFO : SBCOUNTYWINES .COM /SANTA -BARBARA -WINE -PRESERVE
CUSTOMERS PAY 1% FEEON ALL CA PURCHASESAT ASSESSED WINERIES
FUNDS ARE MANAGED BY THENEW WINE PRESERVE
ORGANIZATION FORMARKETING OUR REGION
FEES ARECOLLECTED BY A
THIRD PARTY ANDKEPT CONFIDENTIAL
1ST YEAR BUDGET: $1,000,000 5-YEAR BUDGET: $5,000,000
10%
90%
"Sourcing grapes from Santa Barbara County
as well as our own estate vineyard allows me
to make well-balanced table wines that are
meant to be paired with food. Consumers are
looking for small-batch, high-quality wines they
can bring home for dinner or a special
occasion. It is time for our region to have an
increased marketing presence with sustainable
funding so Santa Barbara County wines can be
shared by wine lovers in our tasting rooms and
in their homes."
In TheirIn TheirOwn WordsOwn WordsQUOTES FROM THE
SBC WINE INDUSTRY
"Our family has been growing
winegrapes for five generations as well
as operating our winemaking facilities.
Over the years, we have seen the
positive impact of collective, regional
marketing. We fully support the Wine
Preserve and all of the benefits it will
bring to our local wine industry ."
Nicholas MillerVice President, Marketing
Thornhill Companies/Bien Nacido Vineyards
Douglas Barden MargerumOwner/Winemaker
Margerum & Barden Wines
THE GROWER
THE WINEMAKER
about the Wine PreserveAlison Laslett
CEOSanta Barbara Vintners
"The Santa Barbara wine country isuniquely positioned to become one ofCalifornia's premier wine destinations.We have made tremendous strides infinding funding for our region and theWine Preserve guarantees success for
years to come."
“We are a 2-billion-dollar industry in this
county with no voice or advocacy. It is easier
to drill an oil well than to build a winery in this
County. We need a loud, united, well-funded
voice to fight for our rights. The future of
Santa Barbara Wines rests in the constant
funding the Wine Preserve will provide for
promotions, allowing us to use other revenue
for advocacy."
THE INFLUENCER
QUOTES FROM THE
SBC WINE INDUSTRY
"The Santa Barbara County Wine
Preserve provides an opportunity for
our region to finally receive the
promotional opportunities needed to
put us on the map."
Chad MelvilleOwner/Winemaker
Melville Winery
Keith SaarloosOwner/Winemaker
Saarloos + Sons
THE WINEMAKER
about the Wine PreserveStephen JanesPence Vineyards & Winery
President, Santa Barbara Vintners
“The wines coming out of Santa Barbara WineCountry compete with the best in the world, no
matter what varietal you are drinking. As aregion, we have never had consistent and
stable funding to tell this story and therefore,consumers have no idea how great our winesare and how beautiful it is here. Creating theSanta Barbara Wine Preserve will change thatdynamic forever. We will look back in five toten years and say that was the best thing we
could have ever done.”
In TheirIn TheirOwn WordsOwn Words
"As the owner of a boutique winery, I
handle a majority of the winemaking
and promotions for my business. The
new Wine Preserve helps small wineries
like mine reach customers through a
collective marketing effort. The
Preserve provides exposure for all
wineries thanks to the support of
consumers visiting our tasting rooms."
THE BOUTIQUE WINERY OWNER
QUOTES FROM THE
SBC WINE INDUSTRY
"Santa Barbara County's wine industry is
like one giant family. We all help each
other out but we don't always see eye-
to-eye. The beauty of the Wine Preserve
is that every winery contributes to
funding used to promote our region and
all that it has to offer. Everyone
benefits."
Tim SniderPresident
Fess Parker & Epiphany Wineries
Jessica GascaOwner/Winemaker
Story of Soil Wines
THE FAMILY LEGACY
Photo credit | doug wilder, purely domestic wine report
"The prospect of a well-fundedmarketing effort benefitting all SantaBarbara wine industry businesses is
exciting and long overdue. This is justthe boost our company and our winecommunity needs to recover from thechallenges of 2020 and grow into a
prosperous future.."
Becky BarieauCo-owner
Foxen Vineyard & Winery
about the Wine Preserve
In TheirIn TheirOwn WordsOwn Words
TIMELINETIMELINESANTA BARBARA COUNTY WINE PRESERVE
APRIL 2018
Begin Wine Preserve project: raise sponsorship,
contract Civitas Consulting.
JUNE 2019Draft Management District Plan (MDP) at 2%
of all CA Sales, based on County data.
O C T
2 0 2 0
PETITION DRIVE &
STAKEHOLDER
EDUCATION
PUBLIC HEARING
PROCESS (CITIES &
COUNTY) & EDUCATION
IMPLEMENT WINE
PRESERVE, BEGIN
COLLECTING FEE. NEW
BOARD MEMBER SPOTS
OPEN
JUNE 2018Meet with Santa Barbara County staff
AUGUST 2018 -MARCH 2019Sales data is gathered by County.
AUGUST 2019County reviews MDP
SEPTEMBER 2019 -AUGUST 2020
SBCOUNTYWINES .COM /SANTA -BARBARA -WINE -PRESERVE
Stakeholder education & feedback, over 20
group meetings conducted and countless
individual conversations.
FEBRUARY 2020County provides corrected data; BID structure
reduced to 1% of all CA Sales.
AUGUST 2020
Educational workshop to County BOS, who
requests auditable structure; BID returns to 1%
of all CA Sales.
SEPTEMBER 2020Finalize MDP with County and continued
Stakeholder Education on 1% of all CA Sales.
NEXT STEPSNEXT STEPS
N O V - D E C
2 0 2 0
Q 1
2 0 2 1
Q 2 - Q 3
2 0 2 1
WINE PRESERVE
FUNDING RECEIVED
BY THIRD QUARTER
JUNE 2020Wineries choose 1.5% of Tasting Room Sales
only to remove Wine Clubs. Structure is
pending Board of Supervisors (BOS) approval.
M Y T H # 1 : T H E 1 % F E E W I L L D I S S U A D E C U S T O M E R S F R O MV I S I T I N G S B C T A S T I N G R O O M SHistorically, BIDs see an increase in visitation and sales within their industryeach year. Our local Tourism BIDs in Santa Barbara County have experienced increases in yearly visitation, overnight stays, and sales &marketing funding. BID organizations succeed in reaching more visitors,increasing visitation, and increasing sales.
M Y T H S
M Y T H # 2 :THE WINE PRESERVE WILL MARKET SBC WINES TOWHOLESALERSNo Wine Preserve funds may legally be spent on marketing SBC wines towholesalers since the assessment is paid for through DTC sales. A successfulmarketing program will result in a halo effect that benefits all aspects of thewine industry, such as an increased demand for wine grapes and wine. Anyevents marketing to wholesalers will be funded from other revenue sources,including non-winery memberships and non-Wine Preserve, self-sustainingevents. We will continue to find ways that everyone may contribute to ourpromotional efforts. For instance, we will maintain grower membershipssince the Wine Preserve precludes them from participating in the BID, aswell as business and hospitality memberships. We will also pursue a GrapeCommission.
M Y T H # 3 : VINEYARDS SELLING GRAPES OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTYWILL NOT BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PRESERVEIt is illegal to tax or charge a fee on crops outside of a government structure.Therefore, the Wine Preserve would never be able to add a fee to sales ofwine grapes without creating a Grape Commission, which is a separate entityunrelated to the Wine Preserve.
M Y T H # 4 : THE BID FEE IS JUST A WAY FOR THE ASSOCIATIONTO FUND ITSELF AND DO WHAT IT WANTSBy law, all BID funds must be managed by members who pay the assessment,and may only be used for legally defined activities, such as marketing andcommunity engagement. All funds and direction will be finalized by the neworganization and future Board of Directors.
FOR FAQS VIS IT : SBCOUNTYWINES .COM /SANTA -BARBARA -WINE -PRESERVE
SANTA BARBARAWINE PRESERVE
C O N T A C T U S
SANTA BARBARAWINE PRESERVE
Alison LaslettCEO
310.463.0262
Stephen Janes
President
Pence Vineyards & Winery
(2019-2021, Second Term)
Tyler Thomas
Star Lane/ Dierberg
Vineyards
(2019-2021, First Term)
Karen Steinwachs
Buttonwood
Winery & Vineyard
(2018-2020, First Term)
Phil CarpenterDirector of Membership
805.697.6970
Katy Rogers
Vice President
Jackson Family Wines
(2018-2020, First Term)
Callie Gleason
Refugio Ranch/Roblar Winery
(2018-2020, First Term)
Tim Snider
Epiphany Wine Co.
(2020-2022, First Term)
Jessica Gasca
Story of Soil
(2020-2022, First Term)
Wayne Kelterer
Secretary
The Hilt
(2019-2021, First Term)
Riley Slack
Foxen
Vineyard & Winery
(2019-2021, First Term)
Nicholas Miller
The Thornhill Companies
(2019-2021, First Term)
805 .688 .0881 | INFO@SBCOUNTYWINES .COM | SBCOUNTYWINES .COM
B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
Media contact: Kady Fleckenstein | 805.291.9389 | [email protected]