§60-1-5a Farm wineries defined. - West Virginia Statutes

§60-1-5a. Farm wineries defined.
(a) For the purpose of this chapter "Farm winery" means an establishment where in any year fifty thousand gallons or less of wine and nonfortified dessert wine are manufactured exclusively by natural fermentation from grapes, other fruits or honey or other agricultural products containing sugar and where port, sherry and Madeira wine may also be manufactured, with twenty-five percent of such raw products being produced by the owner of such farm winery on the premises of that establishment and no more than twenty-five percent of such produce originating from any source outside this state. Any port, sherry or Madeira wine manufactured by a winery or a farm winery must not exceed an alcoholic content of twenty-two percent alcohol by volume and shall be matured in wooden barrels or casks.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, a farm winery may include one off-farm location. The owner of a farm winery may provide to the commissioner evidence, accompanied by written findings by the West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner in support thereof, that the owner has planted on the premises of the farm winery young nonbearing fruit plants. The commissioner may grant permission for one off-farm location in an amount equal to that reasonably expected to be produced when the nonbearing fruit plants planted on the farm winery come into full production. The length of time of the permission to use an off-farm location shall be determined by the commissioner after consultation with the Agriculture Commissioner.