VASCM: FW: Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District Approved and Becomes Effective in 2026 Ferrari Ranch Wines
Tyler Larkin from Commerce7
support at commerce7.com
Tue Nov 11 01:15:03 GMT 2025
Hi Dave,
Thanks for reaching out to our team here at Commerce7, so there is a way to
implement custom taxes in your tenant under Settings > Taxes > Custom Taxes
> Add Custom Tax. From there you can give the custom tax/assessment a name
of your choosing or inline with what this assessment is referred to as
which sounds like SCMWID Fee? When you add the custom assessment there,
you can set it up to apply as a percentage for the tax type, which country
it applies within, the state and you can even limit it down to zip codes
within the state you are setting it up for. From there you apply a value
inline with what the assessment should charge the 1% fee on by Wine,
Merchandise, Food and Freight. So you would assign a 1 to each of those
where any assessment should be applying.
It would look something like this I believe:
If you wanted to limit it to certain zip codes, that would give you the
window to keep it only applying to orders processed within those zip codes
in the district.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Tyler Larkin
*Commerce7*, Ecommerce Solutions Manager
e. support at commerce7.com <https://commerce7.com/>
w. commerce7.com
On Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 10:48 AM, <vascm-bounces at lists.kkn.net> wrote:
Ferrari Ranch wines has just been included in a wine improvement
district.
How can we have Commerce 7 help us with the implementation of this. Many
of our wineries do business with C7.
You can see the definitions below as to how it will work.
Dave
*From:* VASCM <vascm-bounces at lists.kkn.net> *On Behalf Of *
jim at housefamilyvineyards.com
*Sent:* Sunday, November 9, 2025 10:38 AM
*To:* 'Megan Bell' <megan at marginswine.com>; 'Jim Schultze' <
jameskschultze at gmail.com>; mary at munsvineyard.com
*Cc:* 'Richard Alfaro' <Rfalfaro at aol.com>; vascm at lists.kkn.net
*Subject:* Re: VASCM: Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District
Approved and Becomes Effective in 2026
Hi Megan,
Great questions, this process has lots of moving parts and we are trying to
best communicate with all of the current and new members. Below is a
concise bullet point overview, that should answer your questions. If you,
or anyone else has questions about the WID, I am available by email or
phone. Call anytime, 408-497-6542.
*1. Wine Club Sales Within the WID Boundary *
The *key factor* is *where the sale transaction is processed*, not where
the wine is ultimately shipped.
- *If the sale is processed at your tasting room or winery within the
WID boundaries*, then those wine club sales are *considered DTC sales
within the WID*.
- This applies *even if the customer lives out of the area (but within
the State of California)* and the wine is shipped to them. Out of state
wine club or web sales are not assessed.
- *Pickup vs. shipping doesn’t matter* — what matters is the *point of
sale* (where the sale was entered into your POS system).
*2. “DTC Sales Outside the WID Area Are Not Assessed”*
“Outside the WID area” means that if the sale transaction happens *outside
the district boundaries* (for example, at an offsite tasting event or
through a separate fulfillment center located elsewhere), then *those sales
are not assessed*.
- Online webstore orders are typically processed through your winery’s
POS system or ecommerce platform tied to your physical business location.
- Therefore, *if your winery’s physical address is within the WID*,
then *all online orders* (no matter where the buyer is located) are
considered *within* the WID and are *assessed*.
- If the winery itself is outside the WID, those same orders would
not be.
So:
✅ Wine club orders processed by your winery within the WID = *assessed DTC
sales*
🚫 Wine club orders processed elsewhere (e.g., fulfillment warehouse or
out-of-area retail outlet) = *not assessed*
✅ *Online sales processed at your winery (within WID)* = assessed.
🚫 *Sales processed outside the WID* (different facility, different
district) = not assessed.
Cheers,
Jim Cargill
[image: A close up of a sign AI-generated content may be incorrect.]
800.975.7191
www.HouseFamilyVineyards.com <https://www.housefamilyvineyards.com/>
*From:* VASCM <vascm-bounces at lists.kkn.net> *On Behalf Of *Megan Bell
*Sent:* Saturday, November 8, 2025 8:56 AM
*To:* Jim Schultze <jameskschultze at gmail.com>; mary at munsvineyard.com
*Cc:* Richard Alfaro <Rfalfaro at aol.com>; vascm at lists.kkn.net
*Subject:* Re: VASCM: Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District
Approved and Becomes Effective in 2026
Hi all,
Can someone please clarify how this works in regards to a wine club? The
majority of our wine club members are out of state or out of the SCM region
and have their wine shipped to them. I am also wondering about online
webstore sales.
1. Which wine club sales are considered part of the winery's DTC sales
within the WID boundary? Is it only sales from members who pick up their
shipment in person, or all wine club sales for shipments that are going
across the state/country? Or neither?
2. Looking for clarification on this statement: "DTC sales outside the WID
area are not assessed." Does "outside the WID area" refer to the location
of the customer? For example, orders from the online webstore that are
being shipped to an area outside of Santa Cruz County, or ALL online orders
from the webstore, regardless of customer location and whether or not the
customer has selected "pick up at the tasting room" as an option?
Thanks so much,
Megan
On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM Jim Schultze <jameskschultze at gmail.com>
wrote:
Thanks Ed – – that is a good summary. I found this article (link enclosed)
to be quite relevant. Temecula has had its own WID for four years and it
has enabled them to take the region to a new level. I would hope that we
could do the
same!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/temecula-valleys-wine-agricultural-heritage-130000978.html
Best, Jim.
James K. Schultze
Proprietor/Winemaker
Windy Oaks Estate
(831)724-9563
On Nov 4, 2025, at 3:14 PM, ed at munsvineyard.com wrote:
SCM WID “Cliff Notes” summary:
1. The WID assessment replaces SCMWA annual dues to fund the regional
marketing done by the SCMWA.
2. The assessment is 1% of a winery’s DTC sales within the WID
boundary. DTC sales outside the WID area as well as wholesale sales are
not assessed. Since the WID funding formula differs from the prior SCMWA
funding formula, the annual cost will also differ from what SCMWA members
paid in the past.
3. All wineries within the WID boundary are required to pay the WID
assessment, whether or not they were formerly SCMWA members.
4. The SCMWA manages the programs that the WID assessment funds. WID
wineries approve the programs, like the past when SCMWA members approved
SCMWA programs.
Regards,
Ed Muns
Muns Vineyard
(408)515-2663
*From:* VASCM <vascm-bounces at lists.kkn.net> *On Behalf Of *Ryan Stirm
*Sent:* Tuesday, 4 November, 2025 14:03
*To:* Richard Alfaro <rfalfaro at aol.com>
*Cc:* vascm at lists.kkn.net
*Subject:* Re: VASCM: Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Improvement District
Approved and Becomes Effective in 2026
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
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*Ryan Stirm*
STiRM Wine Co.
925-330-4422
ryan at stirmwine.com
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Megan Bell
Margins Wine
www.marginswine.com
(925) 413-2654
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