Winery Tasting Rooms: Zoning, Licensing and Leasing Considerations
Published in the North Bay Business Journal "Legal & Accounting Resource Guide"
In an attempt to reach a greater number of consumers directly and enhance their retail sales, wineries are increasingly focused on their tasting room operations. In particular, many wineries have been opening offsite tasting rooms, often located in locations with high visitor traffic, which provide consumers the opportunity to taste and purchase their wines. Offsite tasting rooms are particularly popular with those wineries that produce their wine in another's facility and therefore do not have access to a tasting room within an actual winery facility. This article addresses some zoning, licensing and leasing considerations related to such tasting rooms.