The well-publicised United States (US) Government “Shutdown” has seen the temporary shutdown of a number of US government departments since 21 December 2018.
Many of the departments have relevance to wine trade and of most importance to our wine exports is the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). The TTB websites and e-portals are still fully functioning, which means that wineries can still submit Certificate of Label Approval (COLA), formula approval forms, permit applications and tax returns.
While these forms are still accessible, any document has been submitted to TTB after Friday, 21 December 2018, will not be reviewed or processed until after the shutdown ends. Any new products cannot be introduced into the market if they do not have a COLA.
