If your winery QuickBooks file feels like a mess, the structure underneath it is probably to blame. Learn why so many small wineries inherit the wrong setup — and what a correctly built winery chart of accounts actually looks like..

California’s new EPR packaging regulations became effective May 1, 2026, yet most small wineries have barely heard of them. This article explains who may qualify as a producer, how the small producer exemption works, upcoming registration deadlines, and the packaging records wineries may soon need to maintain.

Insights from the InnoVint Winery Health Report on profitability, customer relationships, and operating intentionally in a soft wine market.

Most winery financial reports show you total revenue. What they don't show you is which channel is actually making money. Here's how to find that number — and why it changes everything about how you run your winery.

Most winery QuickBooks files don't start out messy — they get messy over time. Here's the hidden reason your reports are hard to read, and the fix that makes everything clearer.

QuickBooks can handle winery inventory — but most small wineries aren't using it that way. Instead, they're working around it with spreadsheets, warehouse reports, and eCommerce programs, while waiting until year end to find out what their wine actually cost them.

In this post, I walk through the three inventory mistakes I see most often in small winery QuickBooks files: inconsistent sales entry across wholesale and DTC channels, case goods that disappear after a bottle run, and samples and pours that never get recorded. Each one distorts your COGS a little more — and once inventory is off, nothing downstream is right.

The good news is that these almost always trace back to a setup issue, not a math problem. Fix the structure, and your numbers start telling the truth.

The wine industry has been contracting for years. Tasting room traffic is down. Wine clubs are stalling. Wineries are closing. If your financial system isn't built for this, here's what to fix first.

Learn how wineries can pursue potential tariff refunds after the Supreme Court ruling. Discover which vendor charges may be recoverable, what records to gather, and how to request credits or pricing adjustments from suppliers.

Make crush season less chaotic. Learn how to record grape bills, handle payment terms, and avoid common QuickBooks errors that cause back-and-forth between cellar and bookkeeping teams.

Learn how to build a financially healthy winery. In this free webinar hosted by VinoShipper, Jeanette Tan shares practical strategies for small wineries to manage cash flow, price for profit, and plan for sustainable growth.

As many as 30% of wineries may not survive the industry reset. Learn how a strong financial management process can help your winery beat the odds.

Small wineries have a unique advantage in marketing—they’re nimble, close to their customers, and able to test and tweak strategies quickly. By asking four key questions and tracking results carefully, owners can move beyond “hope marketing” to create smart, simple plans that drive real results.

Participate in the survey and receive a complete set of results. The deadline to submit is Friday, May 19th. The blog post includes a link to the survey, a pdf of the questions, and a video to show how to answer the QuickBooks questions.

Download the SVB Report and read my comments

Changes in QuickBooks Desktop license program beginning July 2024. URGENT!

There are 4 aspects of the program:

Registering your winery

Paying the processing fee after bottling

Implementing the CRV collection and reporting

Updating your labels

With rising inflation and operating costs, winery owners are looking for ways to manage the bottom line without raising prices. 

The sudden demise of Silicon Valley Bank is a reminder to stay calm and to focus on what you can control: your cash management procedures.

We hope you are enjoying the holidays with your family and loved ones. We will keep this brief so that you can return to your mulled wine and toys. Cheers!

Happy end of harvest! I hope you are enjoying the gorgeous fall colors. Here at QBWS, we are busy preparing budgets and forecasts for next year, in addition to wrapping the 2022 books.