Opposition Mounting to Santa Barbara County Wine Fee

Though historically a region where competing producers played nicely together in the collective sandbox, Santa Barbara County wine country is on the verge of civil war, as a proposed fee to fund regional marketing efforts is drawing deep lines in those once still sands. 

The 1 percent assessment — which would be levied as a countywide “business improvement district,” or BID —  would apply to all bottles sold direct-to-consumer within California by Santa Barbara County wineries. The collected monies, estimated to be about $1 million per year, would bolster the finances and, presumably, the impact of the perpetually cash-strapped Santa Barbara County Vintners Association. The association is currently funded by membership dues, which amounts to an annual budget of about $400,000, far less than similar associations in other regions of California. 

To create the BID, the Vintners must get 50 percent of the county’s wineries to support the fee, and then the support of the County of Santa Barbara and every other affected municipality. But the initial tally to create the district is a weighted one, based on each winery’s annual sales, so a small producer’s opposition matters less than a large winery’s support. In Santa Barbara County, where small producers predominate, opponents believe that the 50 percent mark could be tipped by a handful of larger producers. The Vintners Association says a straw poll indicated at least 60 percent in support.