Tinkling glasses and celebratory cheers erupted across much of Santa Barbara wine country on Tuesday, as the county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of a one percent assessment on winery sales to support the region’s marketing efforts.
The “Wine BID” — which failed to gain enough support when first proposed in 2020 — will add the new fee to all direct-to-consumer sales from tasting rooms countywide and is expected to raise about $1.5 million annually for the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association. The association will then use that money to advertise the region, which is currently being outspent by places like Livermore and Temecula that have already approved similar BIDs. The funding model is expected to become even more common in the years to come, as Paso Robles, Monterey, and elsewhere are considering their own versions.
Santa Barbara’s Wine BID was the subject of about a dozen meetings over the past three months, including hearings at each of the eight cities in the county. The 126 wineries that signed petitions in favor of the idea represent nearly 60 percent of the county’s wine sales, while the four petitions filed in opposition only amounted to about 1.2 percent of sales.