MEMBER BENEFIT

Marketing Resources

Marketing is an important aspect of the wine and grape business. The lowa Wine Growers Association works to help promote the industry and give you the tools to help you promote yourself.

• Full time Executive Director and marketing staff dedicated to promoting the industry and assisting members

• Social media engagement

• Online resources for starting a winery, growing grapes and making wine

• Members-only email forum

• Partnership with the lowa State Fair to promote our industry and sell wine at the lowa Wine Experience during the Fair

• Partnership with the Iowa Wine, Beer, and Spirits Promotion Board to increase tourism traffic to your winery

• Annual conference and hands-on workshops for continuing education

• Online classifieds for you to buy or sell grapes and equipment

• Consumer research studies and brand campaign for lowa wines

• Consumer newsletter sent monthly featuring our member wineries

• Marketing & Branding webinars

• Legislation passed to allow native Iowa wineries and their vineyard to retain their agriculture zoning.

• Legislation passed to create the Class B Native Wine permit to allow commercial businesses to sell native Iowa wine by the bottle and to serve tastings.

• Legislation passed to allow Native Wineries to sell beer and spirits. This bill also allowed Native Distillers and Native Breweries to sell Iowa wine.

• Worked with Iowa State University to establish the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute.

• Legislation passed to allow wineries to self-distribute their product to retail locations without utilizing a distributor.

• Legislation passed to earmark native wine excise taxes to be used for education, research and marketing.

• Legislation passed to allow third party delivery services to transport Iowa wines.

• Legislation passed to allow beer, wine cocktails “to go.”

• Legislation passed to allow Native Iowa wine manufacturers to have a second retail location.

• Legislation passed to allow wineries to sell wine by-the-glass at events and festivals.

• Legislation passed to allow consumers to take their wine home from restaurants in a wine “doggy bag.”

• Legislation passed to allow non-profits to auction Native Iowa wines.

• Legislation passed to allow wineries to participate in the state’s apprenticeship program.

• Legislation passed stating that each wine direct shipper licensee shall report wine gallonage sales and pay the wine gallonage tax every six months, in June and December, instead of every month.

• Legislation passed stating that manufacturers of native wine may obtain, instead of purchase grape brandy from the ABD for the sole purpose of manufacturing wine.

• Legislation passed stating that a wine manufacturer that has submitted a bond in an application for a class “A” wine permit shall not be required to also provide a bond in an application for a wine direct shipper license.