At Pisenti & Brinker, we are the trusted winery CPA for the North Bay. With offices in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Napa, and St. Helena, we are at the heart of wine country. With vineyards stretching out toward the horizon, wineries are indeed beautiful and romantic. But, keeping a winemaking operation running requires a high level of accounting expertise. Ongoing accounting and internal control is needed for selling or buying grapes, production profits and losses, taxes for different types of sales, and many other concerns. We have been here for more than 50 years and have grown and evolved as the local wine industry has grown and evolved.
Unmatched Financial Guidance
Wineries often buy and sell grapes. Harvested grapes are weighed, providing data on tonnage, grape varietal, and vineyard origin that must be meticulously controlled. Regulatory agencies, such as the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, also require detailed record keeping. This includes everything from harvest weight tickets to sales. An excise tax, based on alcohol content, must be paid on every bottle. There are legitimate losses such as leakage, voluntary destruction, or losses during crushing and filtering, but any attempt to avoid payment by falsifying production or losses can result in permit revocation. Tasting room sales, or wine that is given away for promotional purposes, and sales to third-party distributors all require detailed documentation. Because wine takes a long time to age, inventory costs and cash inflow and outflow can be difficult to control. We can assist you in sorting through these complex issues and give you valuable financial, cost, tax and risk management guidance.
Because we have grown up with this local industry, we strive to help winery owners live out their dreams of making great wine. We can help with audits and assurance, operating and financial consulting, advisory and risk management, and many other areas critical for winemakers. To get a clearer picture of how we can provide you with the data and analysis you need, contact Pisenti & Brinker today!