From vineyard to tasting room, we protect every part of your winery. In fact, our coverage is built for Washington's growing wine industry — designed for the unique risks of wine making and guest services.
Wineries face a unique mix of farming, making, and hosting risks. As a result, a standard business policy simply can't cover the special needs of wine making. These include crop loss, equipment failure, tasting room liability, and product recalls.
At First Underwriters, we know the wine industry. Moreover, we work with carriers who focus on winery coverage. This ensures you have protection that fits your specific needs — whether you run a small estate winery or a large-scale operation.
Below you'll find complete protection designed for wine making, storage, and guest services.
This coverage protects your winery buildings, barrel rooms, production areas, and tasting rooms. Specifically, it covers fire, storms, and other common perils.
This protects your wine — in barrel, bottle, or bulk — against spoilage and damage. Furthermore, it covers temperature failure and accidental loss.
This covers tanks, crush equipment, bottling lines, and cooling systems. In addition, it protects other key winery machinery from sudden failure.
This includes both general liability and liquor liability. As a result, your tasting room, events, and guest services are fully protected.
This provides protection if your wine causes injury or illness. Additionally, it covers the costs of a product recall.
This protects your grapes against weather damage and disease. Consequently, you're covered when events threaten to ruin a vintage.
Below are examples of how proper winery coverage protects your investment when something goes wrong.
A cooling system failed during a summer heat wave. As a result, over 400 barrels of aging wine were ruined. Equipment breakdown and wine inventory coverage paid for both repairs and wine replacement.
A guest slipped on a wet floor during a wine club event. Consequently, they suffered a serious back injury. General and liquor liability coverage paid for medical costs, legal defense, and settlement.
A wildfire swept through wine country, destroying the tasting room. Furthermore, it damaged several acres of vineyard. Property coverage rebuilt the tasting room while crop insurance covered the lost grape harvest.
Wine making combines farming, making, and hosting — each with its own set of risks.
Cooling breakdowns can spoil thousands of gallons of wine in hours. Therefore, this risk is critical during both fermenting and aging.
Cork taint, bacteria, or oxygen exposure can ruin entire batches of wine. In fact, these issues often show no visible warning signs.
Serving alcohol creates liability for drunk guests. As a result, you may be held liable for accidents, injuries, and DUI incidents.
Frost, hail, drought, and wildfire can harm vineyards. Consequently, entire vintages may be destroyed in a single event.
Premium wines are targets for theft. Moreover, vandalism can damage costly equipment and stored inventory.
Many wineries host events. However, weddings and concerts bring added liability and crowd-related risks.
Our experience and relationships lead to better coverage and service for you.
We work with carriers who understand wine making. As a result, they can properly value your inventory.
We know Washington wine country. Furthermore, we have strong ties with regional carriers and underwriters.
We provide same-day certificates for distributors, events, and venues. In short, we know you need them fast.
When a claim happens, we guide you through the process. Specifically, we help with paperwork and carrier talks.
Beyond core winery coverage, we can help you address other risks. Below are some options specific to your operation.
We'll review your entire operation to ensure no gaps in coverage.
Common questions about winery insurance coverage.
Wine can be valued at cost, selling price, or replacement value. The right approach depends on the wine's age, rarity, and your business model. Therefore, we'll help determine the best method for you.
Yes. General liability typically excludes alcohol-related incidents. As a result, liquor liability coverage is essential for any tasting room or event where you serve wine to guests.
Often, yes. Vineyard crop coverage may be handled through separate farm policies or USDA programs. However, we can coordinate both to ensure complete coverage.
Transit coverage protects wine during shipping. This is especially important for wine club shipments. In addition, it covers direct-to-consumer sales in extreme weather.
Let us review your current coverage. Then, we'll find the right protection for your operation — from vineyard to tasting room.
