Supervisors to vote on wine business improvement district in February

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Santa Barbara County Vintners Association members clapped as the Board of Supervisors set a final public hearing date for forming a wine business improvement district in the county. 

“I couldn’t afford a marketing agency. I don’t have a tasting room. I have to do it all myself,” Karen Steinwachs from Seagrape Wine Co. told the board on Jan. 14. “Having this larger ability for my little, tiny brand to be included … is the reason I belong to these associations today.”

The owner of what she called the “absolute smallest winery in Santa Barbara County” said she joined organizations like the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association to receive the extra support she needs. The Vintners Association first proposed the wine business improvement district—which would levy a 1 percent assessment on all tasting rooms in the county—in 2020 as a way to fund marketing efforts for the region and increase wine industry tourism. Although the initial effort stumbled, the second attempt is scheduled for a vote on Feb. 7.  

Steinwachs and the two others who spoke up during the protest process on Jan. 14 support the effort. The winemakers said that the industry is shrinking, and they’re worried about the future. 

“I’ve seen the challenges that we have all had. I’ve seen the booms, and now I’m really seeing the bust,” Steinwachs said. “Personally, I don’t know if I can even really continue; this is going to be the litmus year.”

Riley Wathen Slack from Foxen Vineyard and Winery said even though Foxen might be considered a mid-sized winery for the region, it’s still a small winery that doesn’t have the budget for large marketing efforts—something that the Vintners Association could create for the winery with the help of the estimated $1.5 million-plus that the assessment is expected to generate.

“Twenty years ago, the wine industry in Santa Barbara County was in a boom,” she said. “We rode that high all the way through the pandemic, seeing some of our best sales years even through tumultuous times. However, we have recently seen a decrease in visitors to our estate” 

She added that she dreaded the future impacts of declining wine industry tourism, which brings about $1.7 billion annually to the county.

“Many small wineries may not survive the next five years,” she said. “Approval and implementation of the wine improvement district will be a lifeline.”

Santa Barbara County Deputy CEO Brittany Odermann said the county hadn’t received any written protests against forming a countywide wine business improvement district since the Dec. 17 meeting where supervisors moved the process forward. On Jan. 14, no one spoke against the district’s formation, and the board moved it forward to the next step on Feb. 11, when they will vote to consider adopting its formation.

This article appears in Jan 16-26, 2025.