VASCM: Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District Approved and Becomes Effective in 2026

[Ryan Stirm]

Hard to see how much "benefit" this will bring the average SCM winery...
seems more like a tax on the producers added during an already challenging
time in the wine business.

On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM Richard Alfaro via VASCM <vascm at lists.kkn.net>
wrote:

> Out of state DTC are not part of the WID
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Nov 4, 2025, at 1:09 PM, Mary Lindsay <mary at munsvineyard.com> wrote:
>
> 
> <VASCM_logo_Final.jpg>
>
>
>
>
> *About the New Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District*
>
>
> On Oct. 21 the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the
> Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District (SCMWID), the final step in
> making the WID a reality. More on what this means and details below. The
> SCMWA has been working on the WID for the past year, securing a weighted
> almost 80% of local winery support through petitions. All of the
> jurisdictions included in the WID boundary where wineries are located voted
> to approve:  Counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo; Cities of
> Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Saratoga; Towns of
> Portola, Los Gatos, Woodside.
>
> *What does this mean for our wineries and growers?*
>
>    -
>
>    *Wineries within the WID boundaries* will now contribute to regional
>    marketing and promotion efforts through an assessment on DTC sales rather
>    than SCMWA membership dues.
>    -
>
>    *Wineries outside the WID boundaries* will continue as members of the
>    Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association as they always have, with no
>    changes to their participation or benefits.
>    -
>
>    *Growers that do not make wine are not impacted.*
>
>
> The District boundary roughly (but not exactly) follows the AVA boundary,
> and all wineries within the WID boundary will be part of the WID and
> required to pay a 1% assessment on all DTC wine sales (more about this
> below). If this affects you you will receive notification about this
> requirement, schedule and payments, to start in 2026.
>
> All wineries—both inside and outside the district—remain valued members of
> our broader Santa Cruz Mountains wine community. Everyone will continue to
> have opportunities to engage in SCMWA’s marketing programs, events, and
> promotional efforts that elevate awareness of our region’s unique character.
>
> *More about the Wine Improvement District:*
>
> The Wine Improvement District will provide a consistent, reliable, and
> larger pool of funds dedicated solely to growing the visibility,
> reputation, and sales of wines from our region. While the Association
> (SCMWA) does important work, it is voluntary and funded by annual dues,
> which means budgets fluctuate based on membership participation and
> economic conditions. This limits both the scale and continuity of marketing
> efforts. The WID will ensure that all wineries that benefit from the
> region’s wine identity contribute proportionally. This creates both equity
> (everyone shares the cost) and critical mass (larger, stable funding) to
> support marketing efforts promoting our wine region.
>
> The WID will not replace the SCMWA but will operate alongside it, with the
> same Board of Directors. Funding is accrued with a 1% assessment on all DTC
> wine sales, which wineries can pay themselves or pass through to consumers.
> Wineries will no longer pay dues to the Association (SCMWA). This does not
> effect the VASCM, which will continue with our nominal $50 annual dues.
>
> Assessments paid through the WID are expected to exceed $400,000 this
> first year, starting in 2026. These funds will be used for marketing the
> Santa Cruz Mountains wine region, its wineries, wines and vineyards to
> promote tourism and sales.
>
> The County of Santa Cruz will administer the WID and collection of
> assessments.
>
> Wine Improvement Districts are legal entities allowed by the State of
> California, and several wine regions have implemented them, including
> Temecula, Amador, Santa Barbara and Livermore, raising large funds to
> market their regions. With the current economic challenges facing the wine
> industry (including our local wineries) and in order to remain competitive
> in a changing market, the SCMWA Board decided to pursue the formation of a
> WID as an alternative fund-raising source to its dues-based membership.
>
> Through consistent funding the WID ensures continuity, fairness, and
> stability - preventing outcomes such as the recent dissolution of the
> Monterey County Vintners and Growers Assn.  The SCMWID is an investment in
> the continued strength of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.
>
> If you think you are part of the new district (selling wine DTC) and have
> questions, please reach out to me and I will see how I can assist. A
> detailed presentation is available upon request.
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> - Mary Lindsay
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> VASCM mailing list (http://www.kkn.net/mailman/listinfo/vascm)
> Post to: vascm at lists.kkn.net
> To make sure your messages get posted:
> - Use the email address with which you are subscribed.
> - Do not exceed the size limit for messages of 1MB. Reduce photo sizes.
>
> Manage your subscription at: http://www.kkn.net/mailman/options/vascm
> Archives at: http://www.kkn.net/mailman/private/vascm/
>
> _______________________________________________
> VASCM mailing list (http://www.kkn.net/mailman/listinfo/vascm)
> Post to: vascm at lists.kkn.net
> To make sure your messages get posted:
> - Use the email address with which you are subscribed.
> - Do not exceed the size limit for messages of 1MB. Reduce photo sizes.
>
> Manage your subscription at: http://www.kkn.net/mailman/options/vascm
> Archives at: http://www.kkn.net/mailman/private/vascm/



-- 

*Ryan Stirm*

STiRM Wine Co.
925-330-4422
ryan at stirmwine.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kkn.net/pipermail/vascm/attachments/20251104/28d67be4/attachment-0001.html>