Kristin Alexander

I wrote the sections on beverage alcohol, communications, and excise (energy, fuel, tobacco, and vape) for Avalara's flagship annual report.

The beverage alcohol industry is experiencing both highs and lows. Changing consumer preferences and drinking behaviors are boosting sales of certain products while other markets are declining. Yet even in the face of economic pressures, environmental threats, and a continually evolving regulatory landscape, the sector is expected to find success.

California produces more than 80% of U.S. wine and is home to some of the largest wineries in the country. Tax compliance can be complicated when your business involves managing multiple vineyards, operating specialized equipment, and even moving grape bins with forklifts. In addition to complying with beverage alcohol tax laws regulating shipping and selling wine, California wineries must also consider managing property tax compliance.

There are wine collections, and then there are wine collections that make sommeliers swoon. That’s the sort a Michigan wine collector has amassed over nearly a half-century of global travels and socializing with wine industry legends.

Whether your wine label is classy or clever matters more to your buyers than it does to authorities who deem your cabernet or chardonnay fit for sale. But your wine label is more than a marketing tool. You can’t sell beverage alcohol without first obtaining all required federal and state alcohol product registrations. And to successfully register your product, your label must be approved by the appropriate federal and state authorities.

The beverage alcohol industry has grown exponentially in recent decades. ... Avalara worked with leading research firm Potentiate to find out how wineries, breweries, distilleries, and retailers are managing compliance.

Beverage alcohol businesses must be tired. A new Avalara/Potentiate survey shows they spend an average of 50 hours per week on tax management and compliance. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to kick back with a glass of your favorite wine, beer, or cocktail and enjoy a day off. In comparison, it takes just shy of 43 hours to watch all five seasons of “Arrested Development.”

As a beverage alcohol seller, you work to keep a lot of balls in the air. Between the time your product is bottled and the moment it reaches the hands and bellies of happy customers, a lot has to happen. When your attention is focused on growing your business, nurturing customer relationships and getting your product on store shelves and doorsteps, compliance can seem like just another chore. But you can't afford to ignore it.

It’s easier than ever for consumers to have their favorite merlot or chardonnay delivered to their doorstep. Driven by demand for convenience, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel continues to expand rapidly. This overview will help you understand not only what economic nexus is and why it’s important, but also the history of nexus determination in the beverage alcohol industry right down to the most recent 2020 legislation.

Every year, a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow and predicts whether we’ll have an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Whether you’re yearning for another snow day or counting down the hours until you can pull your flip-flops out of storage, we’ve got the perfect elixir. Curl up in front of the fireplace, binge-watch your favorite show and grab a glass of rosé.

If you’ve ever seen someone with their nose buried so far in a glass of wine that it appears they’re trying to snort it, you might dismiss the action as a pompous gesture. Especially if they then start prattling about the aromas of wet dirt, leather and raw meat. Wine is a multi-sensory experience and if you don’t sniff before you sip, you may miss out. That’s because what we describe as flavor is made up of about 75 percent smell and 25 percent taste.

Do you fondly remember opening a new box of perfectly sharpened crayons at the beginning of the school year? Some of us recall when colors like burnt sienna and orchid were exotic. Today kids (and adults) get to release their inner Picasso with hues labeled inchworm, outer space and jazzberry jam. If you’re the type that appreciates artistic expression in your wine, Pinot is your pal.

"We're very excited to bring Marty on board to lead WineBid's engineering team in our next stage of growth," said WineBid CEO Russ Mann. "Marty's experience is like a great wine pairing. He led large technical and analytics teams through high growth at ecommerce giant Zulily, and led technology groups at global logistics leader Expeditors as they expanded. In addition, Marty is personally passionate about wine, and blogs about Washington wines in comparison to those of France and Spain."