LEX VINI

How Do You Buy Wine If Your Name is Steven Diamond?

The Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has solved the more important question, namely, is a winery responsible for paying sales tax on shipping charges.  The Joint Committee has approved amendments to the Illinois law, which will be retroactive back to November 19, 2009, creating unambiguous safe harbors, including clarity that shipping charges are not […]

Napa’s New Winery Compliance Rules Preceding Strict Enforcement

Earlier this month, the Napa County Board of Supervisors completed their review of the Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee’s (APAC) recommendations to improve agricultural protection, primarily by imposing new restrictions and limitations on wineries (See approved list of Board actions on APAC recommendations). One of the recommendations approved by the Board was to implement a phased, […]

ABC Provides Guidance on Passport Events

On March 4, 2016, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (“ABC”) published an Industry Advisory providing guidance to licensees, marketing companies and winegrower associations participating in “passport” marketing events. Most passport events have the same format – consumers purchase an identifiable event glass, wrist band, passport or punch card from a marketing company or […]

Guest Post: The Premier Cru Bankruptcy

The following is a guest post from the attorneys at Downey Brand On January 8, 2016, Fox Ortega Enterprises, Inc. filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Northern District of California.  The debtor, operating under the name Premier Cru, was a seller of fine wines in Berkeley, California, and well known for selling rare and […]