Wine, Beer and Spirits Law

The Higgs Fletcher & Mack California wine, beer and spirits law practice is built on the firm’s leadership in the fields of regulated industries, intellectual property protection and enforcement, real estate and land use, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and dispute resolution as well as cross-border issues for agriculture and distilling, brewing and winemaking.

Wine from California vineyards account for almost 90% of all U.S. wine production; California leads in beer production and shipments; and California ships the most distilled spirits in the U.S. In San Diego, as in all of California, our beer and spirits lawyers are experienced in all facets of alcoholic beverage law.

From early counseling to avoiding problems to responsive and zealous advocacy, an alcohol beverage attorney with the  Higgs Fletcher & Mack is well poised to help you. Our experienced and established San Diego wine, beer and spirits attorneys are just a phone call or click away.

Robust Services to California Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries

Our team of wine, beer and spirits law lawyers in San Diego can assist industry clients in the following areas:

• Business Formation, maintenance and reorganization
• TTB Licensing
• California ABC Licensing
• Material purchases and/or sales agreements
• Bottling and distribution agreements
• Product labeling requirements and prohibitions
• Interstate direct-to-customer shipping
• Self-distribution to retailers
• Internet issues and e-Commerce
• Patents, trademarks and copyrights
• Regulatory restrictions on manufacturing and licensing
• Wholesale compliance
• Importation compliance
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Vineyard lease agreements
• Environmental and land use issues
• Employment law and human resources
• Advertising
• Unfair business practices and antitrust
• Cross-border issues for bottling and shipping of wine, beer and spirits

Solutions to Challenges of Brewing, Vinting and Distilling in California

California wine, beer and spirits law has its own set of challenges. Alcohol producers of every size and type face heavy regulation from federal, state, local, and foreign government agencies. These regulations range from direct shipping to consumers and retailers both in and out of state, as well as importing and exporting wines, beers or spirits between countries, and labeling, licensing and intellectual property protection and enforcement.  Some production houses also face franchising, antitrust, trade regulation, advertising, publishing, employment, and Internet-based issues, and state and local land use and environmental restrictions.

Wineries, breweries and distilleries trying to set themselves apart from their competitors through the innovation in and quality of their production processes are frequently faced with copyright, trademark, trade secret and patent law issues.  Many of these challenges require expertise tailored specifically for the industry.

Planned precautionary measures now can minimize or avoid a lot of legal troubles later on. For example, many local winemakers may find that county or municipal restrictions that apply to their particular land parcels may dictate what kinds of grapes or other produce they may grow on that land.  Discovering such restrictions after you have already planted the vineyard, for instance, can be disastrous.

Unfortunately, when running any business, disputes will arise between your business and competitors, neighbors, vendors, or sometimes government regulators. Our San Diego, California wine, beer and spirits lawyers can help you with those problems as well.  Whether you would prefer an informal resolution through mediation or arbitration, or whether aggressive litigation is called for, we have the resources and experience to advance your interests. Our success is your success.

Brewing, Vinting, and Distilling: A Proud California Tradition.

Ever since Father Junipero Serra planted the first vineyard at the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, making alcohol has been a part of California. In fact, many local wineries, breweries and distilleries are family-owned businesses, and Higgs Fletcher & Mack can assist with estate and succession planning to ensure that the family legacy of your businesses lives on. We understand that winemaking, brewing and distilling in California is typically done by small, multi-generation, family-owned businesses, and our team is uniquely structured to meet the legal needs and budget of most South Coast alcohol producers.

Higgs Fletcher & Mack wine, beer and spirit lawyers understand the concerns, the hardships and the triumphs of producing quality alcohol throughout California, and would be more than happy to apply our wisdom, experience and dedication or our San Diego law firm to any of your needs as well. No concern is too small or too large, so fill out our free initial contact form and let us go to work for you today.