Harvest is the most intense period in any winery's year. For US wineries that buy grapes from growers, reception is the critical point where traceability begins. An error here propagates through the entire winemaking process and surfaces as an inconsistency in TTB records.

TTB Requirements for Traceability

The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) requires wineries to maintain records that trace wine from grape to bottle. At reception, each grape lot should be documented with:

Grower identification: name, vineyard, AVA.
Variety: verification against purchase contract.
Weight: measured on calibrated scale.
Brix/sugar: refractometer reading.
Condition: visual assessment (mold, mechanical damage, MOG).
Date and time of receipt.

AVA Requirements

American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) define grape-growing regions. To use an AVA on the label:

At least 85% of the grapes must come from that AVA.
For varietal wines: at least 75% must be the named variety (California allows 75%; Oregon requires 90% for some varieties).
For vintage wines: at least 95% must be from the stated vintage.

This makes accurate recording of grape origin at reception essential.

Quality Controls at the Scale

Standard analyses

Brix: target sugar level for fermentation.
pH: affects microbial stability and winemaking decisions.
Total acidity: acid balance evaluation.
Condition assessment: % rot, MOG (material other than grapes).

Quality-based pricing

Many grower contracts include quality adjustments:

Brix premiums/penalties based on target range.
Deductions for rot above threshold.
Deductions for excessive MOG.

Grower Management

For wineries buying from multiple growers:

Maintain grower database with vineyard details, varieties, history.
Track contracts: price per ton, variety, quality standards.
Generate settlement statements from reception data.
Compare year-over-year quality by grower.

Cepaos for US Harvest

Cepaos handles grape reception for US wineries:

Fast entry by grower, vineyard, and variety.
Automatic settlement calculation.
Direct link to fermentation tank.
Traceability from scale to bottle.
TTB-compatible record keeping.

Start with Cepaos →

Cepaos: If you'd like to try Cepaos through the founding members program, review the eligibility requirements.