New law could boost access to customers for Indiana wineries
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A new law signed this month by Gov. Mike Braun could be a big help for Indiana wineries, especially smaller producers, looking to reach new customers.
House Enrolled Act 1276, allows wineries to offer samples at farmers markets, where previously they could only sell wine by the bottle, according to Indiana Winery & Vineyard Association board member Brent Kumfer.
“That is very restrictive when you’re trying to sell [wine],” Kumfer, who is also co-owner of The Rejoicing Vine in Indianapolis, said. “For instance, our bottles range from $26 to $39. It’s very difficult to sell a sight unseen or sight untasted bottle of wine for $25-plus, and so going and attending farmers markets and outside events was restrictive because it wasn’t really financially viable.”
Kumfer said there aren’t a lot of distributors willing to even consider carrying Indiana wines, so finding avenues to reach customers outside of their own tasting rooms has been a challenge for wineries.
“When the legislation came up, I was really pushing for improved access through farmers markets,” he said. “Many of the wineries in Indiana rely on folks who are very ‘shop local’ conscious, and I find that farmers markets…tends to be a big portion of the market. And so that seemed like a great avenue for wineries in Indiana.”
The law also increases the number of events an alcohol producer can attend from 45 to 75, which Kumfer said is especially helpful to wineries in the winter months.
“The winter time is an extremely tough time for Indiana wineries. People kind of forget we exist,” he said. “So being able to go from 45 to 75 days will allow us to do winter markets as well, where the 45 days was about enough to do summer markets, especially if you’re doing multiple markets on different days. So it’s a big win for us.”
Kumfer and his wife opened The Rejoicing Vine, which he says is the only sparkling winery in Indiana, in 2023. He said in addition to running the business, they wanted to make a difference in the community and wine industry.
Speaking out in favor of legislation was a new experience for Kumfer, who said the entire process was a positive one for him.
“I was very happy with the response from legislators. In my mind, I think there was this barrier of, ‘They’ll never listen to me. They won’t even take my call,’ that sort of thing. But it was really the opposite. They were very willing to meet in person, talk about the issues and explore solutions.”
Kumfer said going through the process has led him to encourage other small businesses to reach out to their legislative leaders if they have issues and share their story to see if there is a solution.