Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/658375
62 WINES&VINES April 2016 WINEMAKING distributed all refunded tax dollars to cus- tomers that had been charged a sales tax. Some wineries eligible for substantial re- funds may need to file additional paperwork with the supplier that sold them the yeast. Gladys Horiuchi, director of media rela- tions for California's Wine Institute, said the institute has been lobbying to change the tax code. She said wineries that purchased yeast and yeast derivatives directly from a supplier were eligible to file for a refund with the BOE. Wineries that purchased yeast through a vendor would have to have those companies file for a refund on their behalf. "The refund process—whether direct or through a ven- dor—could take several months," she said. Pushing for change Anthony Heinrich, the commercial manager of the Australian company AB Mauri, said a winery client approached the company about three years ago seeking technical informa- tion to bolster a petition to the state to change the tax code. The winery's accounting department had realized the tax discrepancy between winemaking and brewing and wanted the potential savings of tax-free yeast. "It seemed very unusual how one in- dustry would be different from another," Heinrich said. AB Mauri is one of several yeast suppliers and manufacturers that have been petition- ing the state government to change the dis- crepancy between taxing yeast for making wine but not beer for years. Jason Mabbett, technical sales manager of the Americas for AB Mauri, put together JOIN NOW AND SAVE! Member registration fees are signifcantly lower than non-member fees. Apply online! 67 n a t i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s i x t y s e v e n t h s c i e n c e a p l a t f o r m f o r p r o g r e s s 67th ASEV National Conference Visit our website for updates on the 2016 program. www.asev.org | 530-753-3142 American Society for Enology and Viticulture June 27– July 1, 2016 Portola Hotel and Monterey Marriott Monterey, California USA I N C l U D E S : Managing Water in California Vineyards Symposium June 28, 2016 Portola Hotel " If it were just a processing aid, there would not be the large variety of available yeast strains that impart such diversity." —Jason Mabbett, AB Mauri