Month: May 2020

Winery and Brewery Phase 2 Reopening Requirements and Best Practices: Q&A with DOH and L&I Webinar

Over 300 Washington winery and brewery owners and tasting room managers joined us Tuesday May 26th to learn from the Washington State Department of Health and Labor and Industries how to better understand the COVID-19 Phase 2 reopening state requirements  as well as learn from Dr. Byron Marlowe of Washington State University recommended best practices for breweries and wineries as we all work on how to successfully reopen our establishments in Phase 2.

We want to extend a huge “THANK YOU” to our webinar speakers including:

  1. Susan Shelton, Washington State Department of Health
  2. Pamela Cant, Washington State Labor and Industries
  3. Dr Byron Marlowe, Ph.D and MBA, The School of Hospitality Management, Washington State University

We’ve put together a recording of the webinar as well as the resources and other documents used or referenced during the webinar. We are sharing them industry-wide in hope that these resources are helpful for wineries and breweries. Please see below!

Winery and Brewery Phase 2 Reopening Requirements and Best Practices: Q&A with DOH and L&I Webinar Recording

Phase 2 Requirements and Guidelines Resources

Experience Design Guide- Hospitality beverage experience development for reopening

WBG WWI Winegrowers COVID-19 Phase 2 Reopening Q-A 2020.06.04 FINAL

Phase 2 Requirements & Guidelines

As Washington counties slowly move into Phase 2 of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start plan, we want to provide you with the resources to reopen your tasting rooms in a quick, yet safe and responsible manner.

As a reminder, wineries that are able to adhere to social distancing requirements will be allowed to reopen during Phase 2. Several counties have already moved into Phase 2, and several more are under petition.

State leaders and health experts will be closely monitoring specific data and metrics to determine when we can safely move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and so on. Please note that until your county moves into Phase 2, the state requires that you still adhere to current restrictions.

Phase 2 Requirements & Guidelines

Governor’s Phase 2 Reopening COVID-19 Requirements
The Governor’s office is asking every business to adopt a written procedure for dine-in service that is at least as strict as the Phase 2 requirements, as linked above. The businesses must ensure strict adherence to all measures established by the State of WashingtonDOH, DOL & L&I.

Phase 2 Reopening Guidelines, Best Practices, and Checklist
State leaders worked with Byron Marlow, Professor of Hospitality Management at WSU, to put together a comprehensive list of guidelines and suggested best practices for wineries.

  1. Washington Winery COVID 19 Reopening Requirements Guidelines and Best Practices.
  2. Washington Winery COVID 19 Supplement Response Operations Checklist.
  3. Washington Winery COVID 19 Supplement Response Posters.
  4. Voluntary Customer Log Template.

FAQ
We worked with our industry partners to put together a FAQ with answers informed by state government officials. This will be updated regularly.

Governor Inslee released the final Phase 2 social distancing requirements for wineries

Governor Inslee has released the final Phase 2 social distancing requirements for restaurants, taverns, wineries, breweries, and other food/beverage industries. You can view the guidelines here, or we have listed them below.

These guidelines are part of the Governor’s Safe Start plan, which is a phased in approach to reopening Washington’s economy. While the Stay at Home order has been extended through the end of May, Safe Start outlines a plan for reopening in four phases. Phase 1 began last week, and wineries that are able to adhere to social distancing requirements will be included in Phase 2.

State leaders and health experts will be closely monitoring specific data and metrics to determine when we can safely move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and so on. Please note that until your county moves into Phase 2, you must still adhere to the current restrictions. Several counties have moved into Phase 2 already, including Ferry, Stevens, Pond Oreille, Lincoln, Garfield, Columbia, Skamania, and Wahkiakum.

Once your county moves into Phase 2, here are the restrictions that wineries must follow:

Phase 2 Reopening COVID-19 Requirements
Every business must adopt a written procedure for dine-in service that is at least as strict as the Phase 2 procedure below.  The businesses must ensure strict adherence to all measures established by the State of WashingtonL&IDOL and the DOH

Dine-In Service, applies to Tasting Rooms: 

  1. Hand sanitizer should be available at entry for all staff and patrons (assuming supply availability).
  2. No bar seating is permitted during Phase 2. If an establishment has bar seating it must be closed off to prohibit use.
  3. If the establishment does not offer table service, they must have protocols in place to ensure adequate social distancing at food and drink pick-up stations, and seating within their dining area.
  4. All parties and tables must be 5 guests or less.
  5. Guest occupancy must be 50% of maximum building occupancy or lower as determined by the fire code.
  6. Outdoor seating is permitted but must also be at 50% capacity. Outdoor seating does not count toward the building occupancy limit, but it must follow all other reopening requirements.
  7. Tables must be placed far enough apart when measured from occupied chair to occupied chair, to ensure dine-in guests seated at a table are a minimum of 6 feet away from guests at  adjacent table, or there must be a physical barrier or wall separating booths or tables.
  8. It is strongly suggested customers wear a cloth face covering anytime they are not seated at the table (while being seated or leaving, or while going to the restroom). Please note that King County has issued a directive for citizens to wear face masks in public.
  9. Buffets and salad bars are not permitted at this time but may be addressed through subsequent interpretive guidance.
  10. If the establishment offers table service, create a daily log of all customers and maintain that daily log for 30 days, including telephone/email contact information, and time in. This will facilitate any contact tracing that might need to occur.
  11. All menus must be single-use.
  12. Any condiments typically left on the table must be single-use or sanitized after each use.
  13. Businesses must have implemented a plan to ensure proper physical distancing in lobby/waiting areas/payment counters.
  14. Minimize the number of staff serving any given table. It is strongly recommended that one staff person take a table’s order, bring all of their beverages/food/utensils, take their payment, etc.

Employee Safety and Health:

  1. Educate workers in the language they understand best about coronavirus and how to prevent transmission and the employer’s COVID-19 policies.
  2. Maintain minimum six-foot separation between all employees (and customers) in all interactions at all times. When strict physical distancing is not feasible for a specific task, other prevention measures are required, such as use of barriers, minimize staff or customers in narrow or enclosed areas, stagger breaks, and work shift starts.
  3. Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles, face shields and face masks as appropriate or required to employees for the activity being performed. Cloth facial coverings must be worn by every employee not working alone on the job site unless their exposure dictates a higher level of protection under Department of Labor & Industries safety and health rules and guidance. Refer to Coronavirus Facial Covering and Mask Requirements for additional details. A cloth facial covering is described in the Department of Health guidance.
  4. Ensure frequent and adequate hand washing with adequate maintenance of supplies. Use disposable gloves where safe and applicable to prevent transmission on tools or other items that are shared.
  5. Establish a housekeeping schedule that includes frequent cleaning and sanitizing with a particular emphasis on commonly touched surfaces.
  6. Screen employees for signs/symptoms of COVID-19 at start of shift. Make sure sick employees stay home or immediately go home if they feel or appear sick. Cordon off any areas where an employee with probable or confirmed COVID-19 illness worked, touched surfaces, etc. until the area and equipment is cleaned and sanitized. Follow the cleaning guidelines set by the CDC to deep clean and sanitize.

We want to emphasize that no winery or other listed industry partially opening in Phase 2 may do so if they cannot adhere to the above requirements. The Governor’s office also states that no reopening inspections are required prior to a winery reopening provided they meet and maintain all requirements.

We are working with our partners and the WSU Department of Hospitality to put together a list of best practices for reopening tasting rooms. In the meantime, please refer to the “Tasting Rooms Should” portion of the California Wine Institute’s Tasting Room Reopening Protocols. This had been thoroughly vetted and will help to inform the protocols in Washington.

In Phase 3, on-premise activities may resume at 75% capacity and bar areas may open at 25% capacity. We will be working to provide additional context for these capacity limitations and what that will look like for wineries.

Curbside & Delivery Rules:
We understand that many consumers will want to continue to limit contact for some time and these services will be an important part of your operations, even as on-premise activities start to resume. We are working with the LCB in efforts to extend all temporary curbside and delivery allowances currently available to liquor licensees. We anticipate these sales allowances will continue to be allowed and be an important part of a winery’s overall business model as our state slowly transitions through our phased reopening.

This is an unprecedented time and we understand there are a lot of questions. Our goal is to streamline the collection of questions and capture them all in one place so that we can share your questions with the appropriate authorities and create a helpful FAQ for all wineries to utilize. We have created this simple form for you to submit your questions through, but always feel free to email us directly as well.
There are many pieces to come together in the coming weeks. We are here for you. Know that we are advocating for your winery and will continue to provide updates and information to support you as you prepare for reopening of on-premise activities.

 

Stay Safe

 

WWI partners with WineDirect to host webinar on driving online sales

On Thursday May 7th WWI partnered with WineDirect to delivery a webinar on how to drive online sales during Covid-19 and beyond. If you weren’t able to tune in live, you’re in luck! You can now watch a recording of the webinar online.

In the webinar, WineDirect discussed best practices and tips to help you effectively engage with your customers and reach new ones digitally including:

  1. Why segmentation is critical
  2. Real life examples from wineries who are succeeding with online sales
  3. Email and social media tips
  4. How to make virtual tastings work for you
  5. Keeping online sales flowing as states reopen

Looking for more resources? Here are a few you may find useful:

  1. Free marketing calendar template
  2. Planning a Virtual Webinar? Read This First.
  3. How Kramer Vineyards is Driving Record Ecommerce Sales

 

State’s Safe Start plan for reopening in four phases.

This week, Governor Inslee announced more details about the State’s Safe Start plan, which is a phased in approach to reopening Washington’s economy. While the Stay at Home order has been extended through the end of May, Safe Start outlines a plan for reopening in four phases. Phase 1 begins this week.

We have been working with the Governor’s office through all available and appropriate channels, including industry partners and the Liquor & Cannabis Board, to determine what phase wineries will be included in. While we continue to work diligently to provide you with more clarity and confirmation, right now, it appears that wineries that are able to adhere to social distancing requirements will be included in Phase 2.

There will be at least three weeks between each phase. State leaders and health experts will be closely monitoring specific data and metrics to determine when we can safely move from one phase to the next.

Under Phase 2, food and beverage establishments will be required to adhere to these basic requirements:

  1. Provide some form of table seating
  2. Not allow people to sit at the bar or congregate in the bar area
  3. Comply with social distancing and health requirements of Phase 2 restaurants and taverns

Phase 2 social distancing and health requirements for restaurants and taverns will include:

  1. 50% capacity limit
  2. 6-foot distancing of patrons and employees
  3. Parties no larger than 5

In Phase 3, on-premise activities may resume at 75% capacity and bar areas may open at 25% capacity. We will be working to provide additional context for these capacity limitations and what that will look like for your wineries.

Please note that until Phase 2 is announced, wineries must adhere to the same restrictions that we have been under since the Stay Home order was enacted.

Curbside & Delivery Rules:
We understand that many consumers will want to continue to limit contact for some time and these services will be an important part of your operations, even as on-premise activities start to resume. We are working with the LCB in efforts to extend all temporary curbside and delivery allowances currently available to liquor licensees. More info to come.

What You Can Do Now to Prepare:
The phases call for adequate social distancing measures and health standards. The Governor will soon announce additional guidelines issued for compliance for reopenings. The Washington Wine industry will be actively working with the Governor’s office, state agencies, and other hospitality field stakeholders to finesse initial outlined requirements and develop any additional criteria required for reopenings. We are also working in coordination with California, Oregon, and Colorado on winery-specific guidelines to be as consistent and helpful as we can. Stay tuned for more information as this work progresses.

The Safe Start policy plan can be found here. We encourage you to read the entirety of this plan, but specifically see page 4 for employee requirements. These requirements will apply to all businesses that reopen.

We encourage you to take this time to prepare for the day we get the green light for Phase 2. Please know that these are merely suggestions to get you started and subject to change as we fill in the details and fine tune requirements. You may want to start taking these steps:

  1. Consider if starting your tasting room opening by appointment only is the best way to control customer safety, traffic flow, and get started again.
  2. Consider providing pre-filled samples to minimize customers returning to the bar area or staying longer at the tasting room then needed.
  3. Space tables 6 feet apart.
  4. If you have large, communal tables, begin blocking off 6-foot sections between parties.
  5. Remove bar stools from bar area and take steps to properly socially distance in front of the bar to discourage customers from congregating in the bar area.
  6. Evaluate staffing levels to accommodate table service until bar area operations can resume.
  7. Consider how to manage high traffic areas, such as entries/waiting areas for seating and bathrooms.
  8. Source masks and gloves for employees.
  9. Develop a system for reservations and encourage customers to make reservations in advance of visits.
  10. Develop policies for screening employees for COVID-19 symptoms.
  11. Identify areas where you might be able to expand your premise to accommodate social distancing (i.e. additional outdoor seating areas) and begin working with LCB licensing to approve those changes.

There are many pieces to come together in the coming weeks. We are here for you. Know that we are advocating for your winery and will continue to provide updates and information to support you as you prepare for reopening of on-premise activities.

This is an unprecedented time and we understand there are a lot of questions. Our goal is to streamline the collection of questions and capture them all in one place so that we can share your questions with the appropriate authorities and create a helpful FAQ for all wineries to utilize. We have created this simple form for you to submit your questions through, but always feel free to email us directly as well.
Stay Safe

Governor Inslee Stay Home, Stay Healthy order extended until May 31.

Governor Inslee announced this afternoon that his Stay Home, Stay Healthy order has been extended until May 31.

He announced a plan to reopen the state in four phases. We are working with the Governor’s office to confirm which phase tasting rooms are included in, and will communicate that as soon as possible.

Per today’s press conference, the Governor stated it will be at least three weeks until we enter each new phase. Next week we will enter phase one, during which wineries must still adhere to the following guidelines:

RESTRICTIONS
All wineries and tasting rooms must be closed for in-person tastings and events.

ALLOWANCES
The following is permitted:

  1. NEW: Samples for virtual tastings. See these guidelines from California, which the WSLCB has also agreed to.
  2. Wine bottle/case sales to-go.
  3. Curbside pick-ups.
  4. Curbside sales.
  5. All deliveries, including direct from winery to customer.
  6. Winery production activities.
  7. Vineyard activities.
  8. Wholesale activities.
  9. Returns of alcohol from a business to a distributor.

See the COVID 19 resource page on the Washington Wine Institute’s website, as well as resources from our colleageus at the Washington State Wine Commission and the Washington Winegrowers for current restrictions and allowances for wineries, along with links to federal and state government support. In partnership with state government, tourism and hospitality stakeholders, we are proactively developing a re-opening plan that includes wineries and tasting rooms.

As a reminder, for tonight we’re focused on rallying around #WAwine to help you continue to do business. Keep an eye on your email for new initiatives through the #SipGlocal movement, like today’s State Night in support of our local restaurants.

Above all else, please do everything you can to stay healthy. We’re in this together.
Stay Safe

WineDirect

The Winery’s Champion

Since our founding, we’ve had one core goal: to help wineries sell directly to consumers in the way that works best for them.  Today, we do that by providing our clients with end-to-end sales solutions – from ECommerce to fulfillment – as well as educational materials designed to help them grow.

For wineries looking to stay competitive, a smart DTC strategy is critical.

It lets you reach new customers, engage current ones, and keep more of your profits. But to really excel, you need to also meet your customers’ sky-high expectations for service and delivery.

Today’s consumers want it all. And we can help you give it to them.

Convenient ordering, great customer service, speedy delivery, and impeccable accuracy are all par for the course these days—and the stakes are only getting higher. As the only company providing end-to-end DTC sales solutions, we’re the partner who can help you exceed their expectations at every turn.

But we’re also dedicated to showing you how to optimize your DTC sales.

Because we process so many ecommerce and fulfillment orders each day, we have access to data and insights that no one else does. We use that to create educational materials that can help all wineries learn anything and everything they want to about the DTC channel, no matter what stage of growth they’re in.

Source: WineDirect

Prospice Wines

ABOUT PROSPICE

Prospice is the creation of two friends with a shared vision for wines and winemaking.  Each changed course from a prior professional career, drawn to winemaking by the impulse to craft an artisanal product.

At Prospice our focus is on making balanced and elegant wines that celebrate the source fruit and the vineyard sites.  We seek to roll back the clock on the modern trend toward riper, more extracted wines, preferring a lighter touch of oak and balanced extraction and alcohol.  We embrace modern scientific research into fermentation and aging, and the use of chemical analyses to understand and guide the production of the best wines we can possibly make from that fruit, but minimize the use of overly manipulative additives or techniques.  We use predominantly neutral oak barrels for aging, but employ a small number of new oak barrels — always of a carefully selected style and cooperage to complement the wine to be aged.

Throughout the process, the science, the analyses, the techniques, and the barrels are all ultimately in the service of the most subjective but most important tool we have:  our palate.  Ultimately, a wine is a small work of art in a bottle, and we seek to make each Prospice wine unique, expressive, and beautiful.

ABOUT THE NAME

Our name “Prospice,” from the Latin for “look to the future,” represents both our belief in the inherently optimistic and forward-looking nature of wine and winemaking and our respect for their deeply rooted traditions.  The clean, modern lines of the Prospice name in our logo sit in counterpoint to the lower rendering of the same name in ancient Etruscan characters (read from right to left), signifying this dichotomy of future and past.

Winemaking is full of moments of anticipation and expectation.  A grower who has found the perfect new vineyard site can close her eyes and see the rows of trellised vines that will eventually span the landscape.  Every year as spring arrives, grower and winemaker alike begin to roam the vineyard, carefully tracking the progress of budbreak, bloom, fruit set, veraison, ripening — ever envisioning the harvest that lies ahead.  As freshly-harvested fruit reaches the winery, the winemaker tastes and begins to envision the future of this incipient wine.  At every stage of ferment and aging, and as the wine goes into bottle, the winemaker recites an insistent and repeated mantra —  “I can’t wait to see what this wine becomes…” — whether in a year, two years, or twenty.

While winemaking is full of this future-oriented vision, there is also an unshakable reverence for the ancient origins of the craft.  The overwhelming majority of fine wine in modern times will spend at least some time in an oak barrel that would be entirely recognizable to a winemaker in Roman times.  Other ancient materials and techniques (such as concrete fermenters and clay amphorae) are experiencing a huge resurgence in modern wineries.  Where the geology supports it, many wineries still age wines in caves hewn from solid rock.  In spite of multiple alternatives that are arguably superior in every way, winemakers and consumers alike still cling stubbornly to the use of cork to seal wine bottles.

Prospice — the name and the winery — is a celebration of the past, of all the years of experience that have brought the winemaking craft to where it is today, and a means to carry that craft into an exciting future.  We hope you will join us for the adventure.

 

Source Prospice Wines