A delegation of wine industry professionals organized by the San Francisco-based Wine Institute visited Washington, D.C., recently to meet with lawmakers and regulators about industry-related issues.

During the institute’s 38^th annual meeting, industry representatives met with officials to discuss the upcoming Farm Bill, federal funding priorities including smoke exposure research and specialty crop programs, and needed reforms to the crop insurance program.

Ensuring adequate funding for the sector’s primary regulator, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, was also a top priority.

“We have a range of opportunities and challenges, and face-to-face discussions with our vintners and key policymakers are essential to supporting growth for thousands of wineries in all 50 states,” said Robert P. Koch, Wine Institute president and CEO. “First and foremost, we need to ensure that adequate federal resources are provided for key Farm Bill programs as well as for our primary regulator, the TTB.”

The delegation met with more than two dozen representatives and senators from across the country. Meetings were held with senior members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, all of which have jurisdiction over key wine industry priorities.

California vintners had the opportunity to showcase the best of their wines during a reception in the Great Hall at the Library of Congress attended by more than 300 members of congress, congressional staff and executive branch officials.

With 4,800 bonded wineries, California is responsible for 81% of our nation’s wine and is the world’s fourth-largest producer. California wineries have a significant impact on the U.S. economy, generating $170 billion in annual economic activity, supporting more than 1.1 million jobs and paying $59.9 billion in wages annually and $21.9 billion in taxes.

Source: Wine Institute