Vintners, others comment on winery rules
The county’s second workshop on proposed changes to the Tiered Winery Ordinance not only drew winery owners, but also caterers, musicians and chamber of commerce members concerned with Ramona’s economic future.
At the July 1 workshop, Elaine Lyttleton, co-owner of Hatfield Creek Vineyards and Winery and a member of the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association, said the number of stakeholders has increased since the first workshop in January 2014.
“We now have very interested caterers, musicians and community leaders who are enjoying the economic development prospects trickling down from the infant San Diego wine industry,” said Lyttleton, “and who are threatened by some of the new rules popping up in this version.”
“The future of Ramona’s economic development is very much dependent on the wine industry,” said Ramona Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robert Argyelan.
Joe Farace, planning manager with the county’s Planning and Development Services, said the draft amendments to the Tiered Winery Ordinance that has been in effect since 2010 are proposed to clarify intent and language.
Some wineries have offered acoustic music and catered food events, and the county has received some complaints.
Not all at the workshop agreed that boutique tasting rooms should have expanded amenities.
“It’s all about tasting what we produce,” said Beth Edwards, co-owner of Edwards Vineyard and Cellars. “That’s how I run my business and it runs very well.”
The ordinance consists of four tiers: wholesale limited winery, boutique winery, small winery with an administrative permit, and large winery with a major use permit.
District 2 County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents Ramona, provided opening remarks, saying: “When we initiated this five years ago, I never dreamed of the success we’re seeing in our unincorporated areas, particularly in Ramona.”
She and Farace noted that the ordinance was created to promote agriculture in the county, and the county has to make sure that any changes to the ordinance do not affect the integrity of the environmental document for which the county paid $350,000.
“The key is to make sure we don’t get sued,” said Jacob.
About 85 people attended the workshop with 23 — most from the Ramona area — providing comments and recommendations. Much of the focus was on music, food service, events and wine sourcing.
“The ordinance today — events are not permitted,” said Farace. “It’s not a special events facility.”
Farace said that the way the ordinance was written, a winery would need to go through the administrative permit process in the small winery tier or have a major use permit to hold special events as a regular part of business.
Definitions have been drafted to define events and offer options for a temporary public event, he said. The county allows temporary public events conducted by a nonprofit organization with a Community Event Permit, however only six permits are allowed per year at a site.
Farace also addressed music: “If you want to have acoustic music on site as part of the ambience, background environment that people come to the wineries for, that’s fine. We’ve placed a provision in there that it cannot be advertised. What we don’t want is people to come to the winery for a concert or an event. That is not the purpose of what the boutique winery is for.”
Amplified music is not allowed and to offer music a winery must have an Entertainment Establishment License through the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Regarding food service, Amy Harbert, assistant director for the county’s Department of Environmental Health, cited state law and said wineries can look at their food service needs as they move up through the tiers.
“As your business grows and you want to provide food service on a more regular basis, there’s a path forward for you to do that and we’re here to help you do that,” she said. “I will be the first to tell you that the California retail food code is complicated and it’s not really easy to understand.”
For the boutique tier of the winery ordinance, pre-packaged food is allowed, along with catered food service, but no food preparation is allowed — the food must be ready to eat and refrigeration must be approved by the Department of Environmental Health.
Several speakers noted that customers should have something to eat when they drink.
“Serving food to wine drinkers is a good practice and should be encouraged,” said Terri Kerns, co-owner of Ramona Ranch Winery, in a prepared statement.
She recommends caterers be allowed to operate within the constraints of their own specific licenses.
Farace said they are proposing to allow boutique wineries to purchase wine from other wineries in the county for blending. However, boutique wineries cannot sell wines from outside the county.
“Bringing in wine from outside the county — that is still prohibited,” said Farace. “That was not the intent of the ordinance.”
Other proposed changes refer to production building size in relation to the property and the size of tasting area.
On discussion of off-site vineyards, Farace said the county is struggling with how to incorporate that within a regulatory frameworks and wants input.
Farace said they are still accepting public comments. To view a copy of the draft changes to the ordinance, or watch the workshop, visit www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/pds/advance/Winery.html.
According to Farace, the draft ordinance will be further refined and stakeholders will receive a copy and be able to comment before it goes to public hearings.