Wine fee proposed to help promote Santa Barbara vintners

“Santa Barbara County, for being such a great place for wine and a great place to visit, has always struggled to raise the kind of funds that other wine regions have to spend on marketing,” says Matt Kettman of the Santa Barbara Independent and Wine Enthusiast.

Now the Santa Barbara Vintners hopes to address those concerns. It is considering starting a business improvement district which would attach a 1-3% fee on bottles in the county in an effort to raise funds to promote regional wines nationally and internationally.

Business improvement districts are common with hotels and retail districts, but this would be the first time such an invigoration has been tried with wine. Kettman says it is an interesting way to market Santa Barbara’s exceptional wines. Santa Barbara County is currently outspent in marketing efforts by regions like Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles.