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\*\ Gmeral Assembly, shortly after thecburt decision, but the measure/was tabled in committee. 1 “Last year we were trying to base [the bill] on winery size,” said Ann Heidig, president of the Virginia Wineries Association and owner of the Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania. “So now we’re basing it on how many cases you can distribute.”
Heidig said she is “cautiously optimistic” that this second push to reinstate self-distribution will pass.
“Particularly for our smaller wineries, self-distribution is the best way for them to grow,” she said. “They are too small for it to be economically viable for them to use distributors.”
Heidig said that since July, even some well-established wineries in the commonwealth have been hurt economically by the self-distribution ban and some vineyards have not been able to sell as much fruit as in past years.
“We’ve had the [self-distribution] privilege for 26 years, and it’s the reason a lot of us got in the business,” she 9aid. “They’ve basically taken away something that was given to us to help us grow.”
Heidig said winery owners are now being forced to change one of the fundamental parts of their business.
“When you’ve built your business plan on the ability to self-distribute and then the law changes, it’s kind of like a broken contract from the state,” she said.
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