Over the past few years, WineAmerica engaged in many important battles to defend and advance critical industry interests. Highlights include—

• Successful adoption of the 2007 Farm Bill by Senate and Congress which, for the first time in history, provides Federal funding for specialty crops.

• Permanent repeal of the Special Occupational Tax, saving wineries a minimum of $500 per year and most wineries more than $1,000 annually.

• Developing a crucial Supreme Court brief explaining the importance of direct shipments on behalf of our members and wineries across the nation, and playing an essential role in ensuring that parties to the lawsuit considered the views and needs of all wineries.

• Protecting the Federal Small Producer Credit.

• Obtaining millions in new federal funds to advance viticultural research and disease prevention and containment to ensure that American vintners have the tools they need to maximize quality and competitiveness across the diverse winegrowing regions of this country.

• Articulating the importance of Federal investment in improving the competitiveness and viability of America’s specialty crop producers, including wineries, through passage of comprehensive legislation to provide that investment.

• Serving as the primary data source for the national wine industry, providing the regional and national press with key information, and promoting the important role the nation’s wineries play in strengthening the economic base of rural America.