Trade Membership Will Influence the Outcome in the Sonoma County Wine Battle

Fighting for or against something from the inside is the best strategy

There is a good deal of debate happening among wineries in Sonoma County over a proposed Wine Improvement District(WID) Funding of the WID would result from a fee placed on all direct sales from wineries to consumer in the County The fee, proposed at somewhere between 1% and 2% of all direct-to-consumer sales, would fund marketing efforts aimed at getting more people to buy Sonoma County-made wines and visit the wineries.

The proposal is being driven primarily by the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association, a trade group representing the county’s grape farmers, and the Sonoma Vintners Association, representing wineries. The fact that there is some significant opposition to the plan reminds us just how important industry trade groups and associations are.

What if the local or state trade association that represents your industry isn’t aligned with your priorities? What if the national trade associations that work on behalf of your industry and speak on behalf of the industry you toil in are not representing your interests and priorities?