WineXpert Has anyone registered their kit wine with the federal government for sale?

[TeamKA]

Has anyone registered their kit wine with the federal government so they could sell it?

 

[jeepingchick]

quick question....WHY?

all i can think is it can't be cost effective to bottle and sell kit wine. it would so muhc cheaper to do it from scratch for a large scale effort. i mean, ya youll make a bit of money but after bottles and kit pricing what would you make? a dollar a bottle??? is that worth the hassle of FDA guidlines?

also are you set up for all the hygene inspections and that BS?

now if your wanted to sell what you make to friends cuz they want a few bottles and that jazz...have them pitch in for the cost of the kit, they will be "helping" with the hobby so no FDA stuff needed...

 

[TeamKA]

I know someone in Ohio that runs a full wine bar off wine they make from WineXpert kits. They sell by the glass and bottels to go. Unfortunatly I don't live in Ohio anymore to pick their brain about the proccess they went through. So I was hopeing to find someone here that had done something similar.

There are specific reasons that I cannot work around the system. We get asked a lot by people if we could sell them some of our wine, and we end up having to say no.

 

[Malkore]

Short answer: sure, but its going to be quite expensive. Much like homebrewing vs. brew pubs, the state laws are going to require you to have equipment that puts you into the 'manufacturing' category. Typically that means an up-front expenditure in the $100,000 range. Not to mention all the heath dept regulations, etc.

Long answer: contact a lawyer and the local government to get the specifics on what you have to do in your state, your county and your city, to legally do this. Everyone discovers that its expensive and not worth it unless you are doing this full/time for a living, for the rest of your working years.

 

[jeepingchick]

they must be able to get the kits at wholesale to be able to make a good profit on it.
good luck!!! i just ell my freinds to buy the kit and the bottles and i do the work for them. i make sure to make no profit on it and they have to help me bottle LOL! its really fun that way i get ppl to talk to while i do it all.

 

[winemaker_3352]

quick question....WHY?

all i can think is it can't be cost effective to bottle and sell kit wine. it would so muhc cheaper to do it from scratch for a large scale effort. i mean, ya youll make a bit of money but after bottles and kit pricing what would you make? a dollar a bottle??? is that worth the hassle of FDA guidlines?

also are you set up for all the hygene inspections and that BS?

now if your wanted to sell what you make to friends cuz they want a few bottles and that jazz...have them pitch in for the cost of the kit, they will be "helping" with the hobby so no FDA stuff needed...

I totally agree - in some states you actually have to have a seperate location from your house to sell this legally - then you have to have the FDA inspections, etc - a lot of hassle. I just take "Donations" or folks pitch in $$ and i make it for them. Now that is not to say i don't make a few bucks doing it this way.

I figured it out that it costs me about $3 a bottle to make. So if i get a $10 "donation" a bottle - that is a decent price for them to get a bottle and i profit $7 a bottle.

That is not a lot - but enough to make the next batches for free!!

 

[TeamKA]

Like I said, if I could get away with "donations"... I probably would. However its not an option for me.

 

[Julie]

I know someone in Ohio that runs a full wine bar off wine they make from WineXpert kits. They sell by the glass and bottels to go. Unfortunatly I don't live in Ohio anymore to pick their brain about the proccess they went through. So I was hopeing to find someone here that had done something similar.

There are specific reasons that I cannot work around the system. We get asked a lot by people if we could sell them some of our wine, and we end up having to say no.

Hi TeamKA,

Haven't seen you on here for awhile. I am not sure if you would be able to do this in PA. You would have to apply for a liquor license with the state.

 

[jdeere5220]

My problem is we don't every have any "extra" wine to sell, we drink if faster than I can make it. For every bottle I would sell I would have to buy another at the store. What's the point of that?

 

[arcticsid]

I wanted to sell homemade pickles retail.

A nightmare. DEC will tear you up. But!, if you know someone who has a restaurant, it can be done, still working out my details Or yes, you have to have certified kitchen. Its alot mre than you think.

I was talking to the lady at the fair last year who came up with some great mustards, She didnt have a friend or a friend. who knew a friend, who had a certified restaurant. It coste dher a small fortune to take them to market.

Youe talking about alcohol, forget it, unless, you know someone who has a license to brew and sell . A winery owner friend, etc. Just take that energy into brewing it.

If not, only bet its value in a friendly game of go fish It has no monetary value..

Selling alcohol is a serious offence. Thats why noone does it!

 

[TeamKA]

Hi TeamKA,

Haven't seen you on here for awhile. I am not sure if you would be able to do this in PA. You would have to apply for a liquor license with the state.

Hi Julie, =) Life has been a little crazy for me this year so I kinda lost touch with the site. (Sold 2 houses, building a new one, surgery, emergency followup surgery, wedding planning, bachlor party =), new job)

In the state of PA you only need a Limited Winery license to make and sell wine up to 200,000 gallons a year.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/limited_wineries/18727

Also I'm pretty sure since Alcohol is not considered "Food" the FDA does not play in this area, I think at the federal level its all covered under the Alcohol and Tobaco Tax and Trade Bureau http://www.ttb.gov/.

 

[Julie]

Hi Julie, =) Life has been a little crazy for me this year so I kinda lost touch with the site. (Sold 2 houses, building a new one, surgery, emergency followup surgery, wedding planning, bachlor party =), new job)

In the state of PA you only need a Limited Winery license to make and sell wine up to 200,000 gallons a year.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/limited_wineries/18727

Also I'm pretty sure since Alcohol is not considered "Food" the FDA does not play in this area, I think at the federal level its all covered under the Alcohol and Tobaco Tax and Trade Bureau http://www.ttb.gov/.

You know you have to watch those bachlor parties, they will do you in. I do believe you are right about FDA and I have talked to a couple of wineries and getting a license is a long drawned out process. Are you planning on opening a winery?

 

[TeamKA]

You know you have to watch those bachlor parties, they will do you in. I do believe you are right about FDA and I have talked to a couple of wineries and getting a license is a long drawned out process. Are you planning on opening a winery?

I've always wanted to start my own buisness, but the startup costs have always prevented me from following any of my previous ideas. From the research I've done so far it would appear on the surface that the license costs are minimal for a limited winery. So the idea is that if i can get a license to sell the wine we make from kits (which we have seen done with success back in Ohio), and do it with out needing a comercial building at first... then we would see how it goes. Build a small customer base, then see where it takes us. Eventually I would want to try to get away from kits and make something truely our own.

I was reading about wine labels (http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/brochures/p51901.pdf / http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/06-08-expo-sample-labels.pdf) and had questions for anyone that had gone through this proccess with kit wines reguarding the Varietal Designations.

 

[Tom]

Has anyone registered their kit wine with the federal government so they could sell it?

No one here makes "kits" for resale

 

[tomije87]

Michigan also has a "Small Winemakers License" with much less strigent requirements and, as far as I can tell, less financial commitment as well. While I have officially priced it out, it should be less than $300/year (insepection, fees, etc).

However, wine is most definitely considered a food under the FDA. The BATF handels the labeling (which you MUST register all labels with the BATF if you plan to sell - they must meet all the requirements) and the taxation.

 

[arcticsid]

I'll need to look into what are regs are here for a "small winemakers" license, if one even exists. But the DEC(dept of Environmental Conservation, they do restaurant inspections, etc.) Will still want to inspect the premises for sanitation, etc.

I think it could be a nightmare.

Trade your wine for tomatoes and sell the tomatoes. LOL

 

[bruno]

In Michigan, you still need to get your permit from the TTB (feds) along with your small winemakers certificate to sell legally. I just went through the process.

 

[jdeere5220]

Sounds to me like you would be much further ahead to sell illegally or use a barter system.

 

[tomije87]

In Michigan, you still need to get your permit from the TTB (feds) along with your small winemakers certificate to sell legally. I just went through the process.

Is $300/year a close estimate? I realized I had a typo in my above post - I have NOT actually priced it out. How arduous was the process?