Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Heritage District Wine Bid Implementation
We are excited to start working with you on the Wine Preserve (BID)!
The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association has introduced a 1% “Wine BID” assessment on winery direct-to consumer sales, effective January 1, 2026. This fee applies to all retail DTC sales within California – including tasting room purchases, wine club orders, merchandise, event sales, and any orders shipped to a California address. The funds are collected to support regional marketing via the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association.
A Wine District is a sustainable, reliable, and significant form of funding for our industry paid for by the consumer. It removes association dues from wineries, allows wine regions to market competitively, funds industry education, and government engagement.
Our world has changed dramatically in the past few years, and Wine Districts are successfully being implemented in other wine regions to attract visitors. Now is the time for us to pursue stable funding and providing longevity for our industry, or we risk lagging behind our competition when we should be surging ahead.
The talents of our winemakers, the unique geography of our region, and the high quality of our wines has been noticed. Over the last 15 years the Santa Cruz Mountains wine industry has been gaining momentum and has begun to receive critical attention. According to data from the California Wine Institute in 2023, Santa Cruz Mountains’s wine industry has an economic impact of $1.7B, once wine customers dine at restaurants, stay in our lodging, and attend special events.
These successes are the result of individual efforts by wineries to promote themselves, as well as a collective effort to fund the Santa Cruz Mountains Vintners to promote and protect the region as a whole. The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1981. The organization was formed to promote and protect the wine region through marketing, public events, and government advocacy. The organization is funded through membership dues and fundraising mechanisms such as special events (SCM Passport, Taste of Terroir, Grand Wine Tasting) and state agricultural grants (CDFA). These funding methods are unpredictable and do not meet the ambitions of the industry. At this point, in order to build on the economic growth and international reputation the region has achieved, the association needs stable, significant funding to support the region in achieving its full potential. A Wine Business Improvement District offers such funding.
Who we are
The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) also known as Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains (consumer facing name) is the managing entity for the Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Heritage District. The Association administers and produces programs, events and marketing for the District and its members.
Have Questions?
If you still have questions after reading this section, please feel free to reach out to us via email: contact@scmwa.com or call 831-685-8463. A Board Member or staff member will get back to you as soon as possible.