TTB Compliance for US Wineries: Records, Reports and How to Stay Current

The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) regulates US wine production, requiring detailed record-keeping and periodic reporting. For small and medium wineries, navigating TTB requirements can be overwhelming, especially without dedicated compliance staff.

Required Records

Wine Production Records

• Crush report: grapes received by variety, grower, weight, Brix.
• Fermentation record: tank, variety, volume, start/end dates.
• Cellar treatment record: all additions and treatments (SO₂, fining, filtration).
• Blending record: components, volumes, resulting blend.
• Bottling record: lot, volume, date.

Inventory Records

• Beginning and ending inventory by product type.
• Gains (production, purchases).
• Losses (sales, samples, breakage, evaporation).

Transaction Records

• All purchases and sales of wine.
• Transfers between bonded premises.
• Removals for consumption or destruction.

Required Reports

Monthly Report of Wine Premises Operations (TTB Form 5120.17)

Due by the 20th of the following month, this report summarizes:

• Wine produced, received, removed, and on hand.
• Broken down by tax class (table wine, dessert wine, sparkling).

Excise Tax Return

Wine excise tax varies by type:

• Still wine (≤14% ABV): $1.07/gallon.
• Still wine (14-21% ABV): $1.57/gallon.
• Still wine (21-24% ABV): $3.15/gallon.
• Sparkling wine: $3.40/gallon.

Small wineries producing <250,000 gallons qualify for tax credits.

Common Compliance Pitfalls

1. Late reporting: the monthly report is due by the 20th. Late filing can trigger penalties.
2. Inventory discrepancies: physical inventory must match records. Unexplained differences trigger investigations.
3. Inadequate cellar treatment records: every addition must be logged. "I sulfited all the reds" isn't sufficient documentation.
4. AVA documentation gaps: claiming an AVA on the label without adequate grape origin records.
5. Blend documentation: failing to record blend components makes label claims unverifiable.

Cepaos and TTB Compliance

Cepaos records all winery operations in a structure that supports TTB compliance:

• Crush, fermentation, treatment, blending, bottling records.
• Inventory calculated automatically from movements.
• Data for the monthly report generated from recorded operations.
• AVA tracking from grape receipt to bottle.

Compliance shouldn't be a separate project. It's a byproduct of good record-keeping.

Start with Cepaos →