Welcome

A Message from Honore Comfort
Vice President, International Marketing

As we start a new year with exports up, now is the opportune time for you to join over 200 wineries that make up our dynamic association, designed to help maximize your international sales with our abundant member benefits.

This program year ahead will be full of fresh approaches to promote California wines. We will continue to promote Capstone California, while launching advanced levels, around the world — a cutting-edge California wine education and certification platform for consumers and trade. Our trade education programs as well as retail and restaurant promotions will engage buyers in leading wine markets. There will be new opportunities to highlight your wines in tours, tastings and events worldwide. As always, we continue to expand our California Wines marketing programs to offer a robust calendar of promotional activities in 40 countries.

EVENTS CALENDAR

VIEW MEMBER PACKET

BECOME A MEMBER

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WINE EXPORT PROGRAM

For more than 35 years, Wine Institute has actively supported California wineries through leadership in international trade policy and export sales development in wine markets around the world. Since 1985, Wine Institute has served as the administrator of the Market Access Program, a cost-share export promotion program managed by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Wine Institute’s Export Program supports the sales and promotion of California Wines worldwide with a robust agenda of trade and consumer programs.

In 2022, U.S. wine exports reached $1.46 billion in sales with California wines making up more than 95% of the total value.

POSITIONING CALIFORNIA WINES AROUND THE GLOBE

Our long-term vision for California wine exports is to help develop U.S. wine exports to exceed $2.5 Billion in annual sales by 2030, with California wines contributing more than 95% of those sales. To achieve this goal, our plan is to gain market share by building momentum in current markets, expand into new markets, and increase the number of California wineries that export. Below, discover the opportunities we provide to promote California wines worldwide.

Trade Shows and Tastings

California winery trade missions to global wine markets
Wine education seminars
Retail and restaurant programs
Wine trade exhibitions

Missions to California

Educational visits for trade and media to regions all over California
Buying missions for importers and key accounts
Introductions to new-to-market wineries
Keynote panels that provide insights into wine industry trends.

Strategic campaigns

Public relations and social media campaigns in 18 countries
Discover California Wines website in 10 countries
New comprehensive educational platform and certification program
Educational webinars and virtual tastings

INTERNATIONAL ACCESS

In-market representatives assist with market development, insights and importer leads
Member Export conferences and webinars offering key topics, guest speakers and market experts
Member meetings with updates on key markets from international representatives.

OUR

IMPACT

Wine Institute representatives abroad provide in-market support and strategies to wineries exporting to 40 countries.

Countries include: Africa, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom, Uganda, Ukraine and Vietnam.

MEET OUR TEAM

Meet Our Executive Committee

The California Wine Export Program Executive Committee provides important direction and oversight for the program’s activities and finances. The advisory committee is comprised of active winery members in the Export Program and is a representative sample of the membership as a whole in terms of export sales volume, total wine production, regions and expertise.

Katie Blakely

International Sales Director

Ridge Vineyards

Sally Burton

Vice President, Marketing

Jackson Family Wines

Jody Bogle

Vice President of Consumer Relations

Bogle Family Wine Collection

Bradley Groper

Chief Sales Officer

Long Meadow Ranch

Meliza Jalbert

Director of International Sales

Hope Family Wines

Mari Jones

President

Emeritus Vineyards

Sebastien Ouellet

Regional Sales Director - The Americas

Foley Family Wines

Emily Putman

President

The Letter M

Brent Shortridge

Export Director

Schramsberg Vineyard

The camaraderie and mentorship amongst fellow California wineries in the export program has been immensely beneficial. This kind of teamwork shows how dedicated member wineries are to the broader long-term goal of raising the profile of California wines internationally.

Joseph Lange International Sales, LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards

10 Reasons to Join

International Representatives
Access to Brokers and Importers
Invitations to Events, Activities and Retail Opportunities
Trade and Media Events
Opportunities for Trade Stakeholders
Preferred Access to Annual Export Meeting/Conference
Access to Export Program Member Website
Preferred Access to California Wines Programs
Access to Export Program Member Website
Expert Counsel and Information

JOIN NOW

Get Mentored

Seeking personalized guidance to enter a new region or enhance your winery’s presence in an existing market? The California Wine Mentorship Program can help by pairing you with a seasoned participant of the California Wine Export Program who can offer invaluable insights and support. Through sharing resources and experience, the Mentorship Program provides a welcoming, inclusive platform that promotes success for all of our members.

Check the appropriate box on your membership form to indicate interest in becoming a mentee.
Diane Berardi, Manager of Operations and Memberships, will follow up about your interests and goals. Once we have a better understanding of what you are looking for, we will explore our network to match you with a mentor based on areas of interest and expertise.
Diane will coordinate an introductory email between mentor and mentee. Once introduced, you are free to schedule a one-on-one meeting by phone, email, Zoom, or in-person.

Contact: Diane Berardi

BOTTLEBOOKS

California Wines has partnered with Bottlebooks, an innovative online platform that stores and manages key wine information for events and opportunities. This partnership enables seamless, sustainable exchanges of product data, enhancing the experience of our shows and ensuring smooth logistics for global events. By using Bottlebooks, our member wineries can easily input wine details, showcasing the diverse and exceptional wines California has to offer and supporting the industry’s commitment to innovation and sustainability.

LEARN MORE

About Our Dues

Export Program Member dues are based on a sliding scale depending on a winery’s total export sales from the prior year using the categories listed below. All export sales should include both bottled and bulk wines exported, and membership should include all California brands under the winery or company. The fee structure can range from $750-$140,000 depending on your export category listed below

*For wineries represented by a broker or outside wine company, the winery must be the entity registering for membership. If you are registering at the $750 level, please send a check or pay by credit card. Dues for all other membership levels can be billed semi-annually in July or January when being paid by check.

Gallons	Gallons	or	Dollars (USD)	Dollars (USD)	Membership Fees
1	3,499	or	$1	$99,000	$750
3,500	5,499	or	$100,000	$149,999	$1000
5,500	9,999	or	$150,000	$199,999	$1,500
10,000	11,999	or	$200,000	$274,999	$2,000
12,000	19,999	or	$275,000	$349,999	$2,500
20,000	34,999	or	$350,000	$424,999	$3,250
35,000	49,999	or	$425,000	$499,999	$4,500
50,000	74,999	or	$500,000	$749,999	$6,500
75,000	99,999	or	$750,000	$999,999	$8,000
100,000	149,999	or	$1,000,000	$1,499,999	$10,500
150,000	199,999	or	$1,500,000	$2,499,999	$15,000
200,000	399,999	or	$2,500,000	$3,999,999	$18,000
400,000	599,999	or	$4,000,000	$5,999,999	$24,000
600,000	999,999	or	$6,000,000	$6,999,999	$30,000
1,000,000	1,999,999	or	$7,000,000	$19,999,999	$36,000
2,000,000	3,499,999	or	$20,000,000	$29,999,999	$45,000
3,500,000	4,999,999	or	$30,000,000	$39,999,999	$50,000
5,000,000	6,999,999	or	$40,000,000	$59,999,999	$60,000
7,000,000	9,999,999	or	$60,000,000	$74,999,999	$75,000
10,000,000	12,999,999	or	$75,000,000	$89,000,000	$90,000
13,000,000	15,999,999	or	$90,000,000	$119,999,999	$120,000
16,000,000	over	or	$120,000,000	over	$140,000