New York Wine & Grape Foundation

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Field Notes

News and Updates from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation

Business Partner

Legal & TTB Considerations For Production of Non‑Alcoholic Wine & Ready-to-Drink Beverages

July 29, 2026 | 9:00 AM As non-alcoholic wines and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages continue to gain traction, producers face a complex and evolving regulatory landscape. Understanding how these products are defined, classified, and regulated is critical to bringing them to market successfully—and compliantly. This webinar will break down the key legal and regulatory considerations for producing non-alcoholic wine and RTDs, with a focus on federal requirements and New York-specific implications.

Wine Industry Contracts: Best Practices

NYWGF Business Partner Webinar with Lindsey Zahn P.C. Tuesday, April 14, 2026 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM   Clear, well-structured contracts are essential to protecting both growers and wineries—especially in today’s challenging market environment. Yet many agreements still rely on informal terms, leaving both parties exposed to unnecessary risk. This webinar will break down what a strong grape purchase or custom crush agreement should include—and the common pitfalls to avoid.

Powering NY Agriculture with Solar: Save Money, Get Incentives & Turnkey Support

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 8:30 – 9:30 AM   Join us for a solutions-focused webinar specifically for NY vineyards & wineries exploring how solar positions your business for resilience. Hosted by Jordan Energy Join Jordan Energy for a practical, solutions-focused webinar designed specifically for New York vineyards and wineries exploring how solar can reduce operating costs, strengthen long-term sustainability, and position your business for future resilience. Jordan Energy’s team has

Year-End Accounting & Tax Planning Hot Topics for Wineries & Growers

Thursday, December 4 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM EST Join us for this exclusive session designed to give you actionable insights to strengthen financial outcomes and prepare for the year ahead. Join us for an insightful session tailored specifically for wineries and vineyards. This webinar will explore the key tax-saving opportunities introduced by the newly enacted federal legislation, informally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. This webinar is designed to

One Big Beautiful Bill: What the New Law Means for Wineries & Vineyards

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 9:30 – 10:30 AM Join us for an insightful session tailored specifically for wineries and vineyards. This webinar will explore the key tax-saving opportunities introduced by the newly enacted federal legislation, informally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. Our expert CPA partner from MMB+CO, Tony Sandonato, will break down how this legislation impacts the industry, with a focus on: Enhanced bonus depreciation and Section 179

Attract New DTC Wine Buyers with a Smarter Sales Strategy

Wednesday, June 18 9:00 am EDT About this event Direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine sales are under pressure. Wine clubs are seeing dwindling sign-ups, younger generations are hesitant to commit, and traditional promotional models are failing to engage today’s fragmented, deal-savvy audience. In this webinar, we’ll introduce digital collaborative buying as a fresh, effective strategy for wineries to boost DTC performance. Join us to learn: Why wine club registrations are declining—and what

How You Can Boost Wine Sales With Well-Placed Words

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but a picture of Riesling with evocative copy that explains its provenance, the people who crafted it and the flavor it delivers in the glass is money in the bank for winemakers. The bad news is, that copy needs to be created by the winery and disseminated on social media and its website. The good news is, wineries can farm that work out—and

Expanding Beyond NY: Keys to Selling Wine in the U.S. & Canada

Starts on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 · 10am EST About this event Join Business Partner, Foster Garvey PC for an engaging webinar created specifically for New York wineries looking to expand their market reach beyond New York’s borders and into other states and Canada. This session will cover key business and regulatory insights for selling wine in other states and internationally, with topics including an overview of U.S. and Canadian alcoholic beverage

Retirement Plan Mandates & Applicable Tax Credits: What You Need To Know

Starts on Tuesday, November 19 · 11am EST With recent legislation changes at both state and federal levels, small businesses are facing new mandates and opportunities related to employee retirement plans. From requirements to offer retirement benefits to tax credits that can help cover the costs, it can be challenging to navigate what these changes mean for your business. Business Partner, Human Interest will break down the latest requirements, explain

Clean Financials: Ensuring Transparency & Success in the Wine/Grape Industry

Learn the importance of clean financials in the wine industry: record-keeping, voluntary audits, inventory management & tax implications. Tuesday, January 7, 2025 · 11am EST Join Business Partner, MGO, for an insightful webinar on the critical role of clean financial statements in the wine & grape industry. Key topics will include: Financial Hygiene: Learn why meticulous record-keeping is essential, even if a formal audit isn’t required. Audit Insights: Discover the benefits of voluntary

Protecting Your Vines & Wines: Cybersecurity and IT Risk Strategies

Join us on December 3rd as Business Partner MGO as they discuss how to keep your vineyard & winery safe from cyber threats and IT risks. Tuesday, December 3 · 10am EST Join Business Partner, MGO, for an essential webinar on “Cybersecurity and IT Risk Management for New York’s Wine & Grape Industry.” This session will cover the importance of cybersecurity, common threats like phishing and ransomware, and how to identify

‘Going Electric’: Is the Wine Industry’s eCommerce Revolution Finally Here?

With eCommerce, the wine & spirit industry has been trying to go Electric for at least a quarter century.  But only until the pandemic has eCommerce really gained traction in the US, where DtC sales skyrocketed for obvious reasons – according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, online alcohol consumer sales in the US increased a mind-boggling 80% in 2019-2020.