December 20, 2021
Georgia Wine Producers,
The Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Wine and Grapes was created by HB1093 of the Georgia General Assembly in 2020 upon request of Georgia wine producers and was signed into law in August of 2020 by Governor Kemp. The establishment of the Georgia Wine & Grape Commission allows the creation and passage of a marketing order by vote of the affected producers of Georgia wine and grapes. If approved, this marketing order will allow for an assessment of all Georgia produced wine by producers who produce not less than 1,000 liters on an annual basis. The funds collected by the Georgia Wine and Grapes Commission shall only be used for the purpose(s) of research, education, and promotion of Georgia produced wines and the Georgia wine industry.
Decisions on how the funds will be used will be determined by the five members of the Georgia Wine and Grapes Commission, which consists of Georgia wine producers appointed by the Georgia Commodity Commission Ex Officio Committee.
The proposed marketing order (attached) would allow an assessment between a range of 5 cents ($0.05) to twenty cents ($0.20) per taxable liter of wine. The payment of the assessment to the Georgia Wine and Grape Commission shall be monthly and reported on the Georgia Wine and Grape Commission reporting form. Also included with the payment of the assessment is a copy of the Georgia Monthly Wine Report form which is sent to Georgia Department of Revenue.
Voting on the marketing order shall take place by mail from January 15, 2022 through February 14, 2022. In order for the marketing order to be approved, at least 25% of the ballots mailed to the best available list or eligible producers of record must be returned and 66.3% of the returned ballots that are declared valid must have voted affirmatively.
Prior to a vote, as required by law, a public hearing is to be held during the Georgia Wine Producers Conference.
Tuesday, January 11th, 9:00 AM
Chateau Elan Winer & Resort
100 Rue Charlemagne
Braselton, GA 30517
If you have questions, please contact me.
Thank you,
Andy Harrison
Manager, Commodity Commissions
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Andy.harrison@agr.georgia.gov
(404) 710-1196