Four Things to Consider Before Getting a Winery License to Serve Alcohol in California
Securing an alcohol license California wide for a Winery in California is definitely something that you should be considering, because it can probably add seriously to your bottom line profits.
Here are four issues you must do not forget when aiming to get a winery license in California :
1. Explore the specific kind of license that you will need
There are a variety of choices and so it might definitely be true to say that one size doesn't fit all. If for instance you have a bar in your winery where you might also want to serve hard liquor or lager ( perhaps as the end point for a tour of your winery as an example ). Then you will need a different license then if you only need to serve wine.
And again, if there's a diner attached to the winery and you need to also serve ( or are serving ) food, then would need license type 41 to cover you for serving both wine and lager. But if you wished to also serve hard liquor then you would need to get license type 47 which would cover you for all three types.
2. What about the local zoning necessities?
Inside California itself there are considerable differences when it comes down to the local municipalities and how they view and license alcohol. These are typically called Conditional Use Allows ( CUPs ), and go with liquor licenses as a basic need that you will need to see to.
3. How much are you happy to pay to get your winery license?
It seems as if getting a valid license to do anything should be relatively cheap, because no actual product is being made. It is just a bit of paper that lets you trade! And yet the reality is that spirits licenses represent both an enormous profit generating opportunity to local administration, and regularly a reliable source of grief due to the challenges that are usually raised to them being granted. So they're priced accordingly! ( More on that below )
4. How fast do you need the license?
One exceedingly common "trick" of approving departments is to pull out the method of approvals for as much as a year for a "standard" application, with the dangled carrot of an expedited process if extra fees ( which are frequently double the original fee ) are paid.
Be prepared then for the charges on your claim for a winery license to increase rather swiftly, particularly if you need to get approval fast.
Equally, the method of transferring an existing license may also be a long and drawn out one, and there are numerous problems to avoid.
Here are four issues you must do not forget when aiming to get a winery license in California :
1. Explore the specific kind of license that you will need
There are a variety of choices and so it might definitely be true to say that one size doesn't fit all. If for instance you have a bar in your winery where you might also want to serve hard liquor or lager ( perhaps as the end point for a tour of your winery as an example ). Then you will need a different license then if you only need to serve wine.
And again, if there's a diner attached to the winery and you need to also serve ( or are serving ) food, then would need license type 41 to cover you for serving both wine and lager. But if you wished to also serve hard liquor then you would need to get license type 47 which would cover you for all three types.
2. What about the local zoning necessities?
Inside California itself there are considerable differences when it comes down to the local municipalities and how they view and license alcohol. These are typically called Conditional Use Allows ( CUPs ), and go with liquor licenses as a basic need that you will need to see to.
3. How much are you happy to pay to get your winery license?
It seems as if getting a valid license to do anything should be relatively cheap, because no actual product is being made. It is just a bit of paper that lets you trade! And yet the reality is that spirits licenses represent both an enormous profit generating opportunity to local administration, and regularly a reliable source of grief due to the challenges that are usually raised to them being granted. So they're priced accordingly! ( More on that below )
4. How fast do you need the license?
One exceedingly common "trick" of approving departments is to pull out the method of approvals for as much as a year for a "standard" application, with the dangled carrot of an expedited process if extra fees ( which are frequently double the original fee ) are paid.
Be prepared then for the charges on your claim for a winery license to increase rather swiftly, particularly if you need to get approval fast.
Equally, the method of transferring an existing license may also be a long and drawn out one, and there are numerous problems to avoid.
About the Author:
It is a good idea to get advice from experienced California Liquor License Experts like the Alcoholic Beverage Consulting Service, as they can help to streamline the process and help to save you time and money on the process of getting a winery license. You can find them at www.calabc.com