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Winery Insurance

Specialized protection for all aspects of your business.

Winery insurance provided by Strickler Insurance.

Wineries all have their personal feel, taste, and appearance. From your website to your grounds and finally to the taste of your wine, everything you do is a definition of your creation and your business. Protecting your winery with personalized business insurance is an important step in your winery’s future.

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Winery Insurance Specialists

No winery is the same. Some focus on in-house sales where your customers visit your winery tour of the grounds and enjoy evening at your restaurant wine tasting and sampling. Other wineries have a larger production process and are focused on transporting your wine to different stores and distributors. The structure of these wineries are completely different and so they call for different types of winery insurance coverage.

At Strickler Insurance our team has experience with a variety of wineries. Because we have dedicated team members that focus on restaurants as well as manufacturing we are able to cover which ever end of the winery spectrum you are on. If our winery insurance specialists are unsure, our specialists who work in these specific industries will be able to answer the questions you have. We have team members that are dedicated to wineries as well as breweries. We have winery and vineyard insurance specialists who are dedicated to providing coverage for your winery.

Single Vineyard Winery Risks

A large number of wineries operate on a single plot of land. This is normal for small to midsize wineries that specialize in focus on their specific type of wine. The risk involved with having a single vineyard can be surprising. Essentially you have all your eggs in one basket. If your crop fails, or you have a recall there’s a potential that your entire years worth of income is hindered. Luckily, there is a variety of winery insurance options that can protect you and your business so you can continue functioning into the future. Some of these include:

  • Crop Insurance
  • Vine and Trellis Coverage
  • Product Recall
  • Equipment Breakdown
  • Contamination and Spoilage
  • Liquor Liability
  • Special Event Insurance
  • Crime Coverage
  • Farm Liability
  • Inland Marine
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Winery
Business Property
Risk Factor

Every winery is a significant financial investment; couple that with an above-average exposure to loss, and selecting the correct business property coverage is critical.

Solution

Business property insurance will indemnify you for property damaged or destroyed due to a covered loss. You can add endorsements to customize coverage, such as contract cancellation, tank collapse, tank leakage, and mobile equipment coverage.

General Liability
Risk Factor

If open to the public, you are responsible for the well-being of visitors. This exposure is amplified if you offer winery tours, tastings, or special events.

Solution

Given the possible hazards guests can be exposed to, it is important to keep tours confined to safe areas and preplanned routes. General liability insurance provides coverage for bodily injury, physical injury, or other personal injury related claims.

Commercial Automobile
Risk Factor

Automobile exposures are significant, especially if you handle your own distribution. Bodily injury and property damage can put your business at significant financial risk.

Solution

Commercial auto insurance protects your fleet of trucks and any other vehicles owned by your winery. In addition, if employees drive personal vehicles for business use, you need hired and non-owned auto liability insurance.

Crime Coverage
Risk Factor

What do you do if one of your trusted employees is found guilty of doing something dishonest as it relates to his or her work with you?

Solution

Crime coverage can be obtained in your commercial property insurance policy, but coverage is very limited. Consider a standalone policy as well.

Liquor Liability
Risk Factor

Any establishment that sells, serves, or assists in the purchase or use of liquor is open to a liability claim. A lawsuit can arise if a patron gets inebriated at your winery and causes injuries or property damage, even after they leave your property.

Solution

If you are in the business of selling or serving alcohol, it is critical you protect yourself from potential financial losses by being covered by a liquor liability insurance policy. Having the right policy in place could help cover your legal costs, court fees, as well as any civil or criminal damages stemming from an incident involving liquor.

Equipment Breakdown
Risk Factor

There is always a risk of sudden and accidental equipment breakdown in the winery business, and repair or replacement costs are often high. Equipment breakdown coverage can help pay to repair or replace the equipment. It can also cover losses associated with interruption of the business.

Solution

Equipment breakdown is typically not covered under a commercial property insurance policy. Obtaining separate equipment breakdown coverage addresses this exposure.

Contamination and Spoilage
Risk Factor

If a batch of wine is spoiled or contaminated due to a refrigeration breakdown, utility interruption, or some other type of foreign substance, a winery has much to lose, including the loss of product and subsequent revenue.

Solution

Seek coverage for contamination and spoilage to help offset the costs associated with these events.

Inland Marine Coverage
Risk Factor

Once the grapes have been harvested and the wines blended, make sure your valuable product is protected no matter where it is. Wine in transit also needs coverage for physical loss or damage.

Solution

Inland marine insurance for wineries protects against direct physical loss or damage to property or stock while it is being transported. Talk with your risk manager about different policies for wine that is stored on your property and wine that is stored offsite.

Workers’ Compensation
Risk Factor

Workers’ compensation coverage is required by law. There is a high demand for wine, but demand can lead to haste. Haste leads to accidents and injuries, driving up workers’ compensation costs.

Solution

Promoting workplace safety and managing exposures can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of workplace injuries. Proactively addressing high risk scenarios helps control workers’ compensation costs.

Cyber Liability
Risk Factor

Customers and employees who entrust you with private information, such as credit card or social security numbers, put you at risk. If this data is lost, stolen, or compromised, you may be legally obligated to alert those affected by the breach.

Solution

Securing a cyber liability policy can cover costs associated with compliance requirements and mitigation expenses, such as data breach notification, securing legal counsel to advise on incident response, credit monitoring services, public relations expenses, regulatory defense, and penalties arising from privacy law violations.

Product Recall
Risk Factor

Every manufacturer faces the possibility that an issue can arise with a product after it has been distributed. A product recall can involve lost time, extra shipping costs, and losses associated with not having a sellable product available for consumers.

Solution

Product recall coverage helps pay for costs related to removing recalled, damaged, or dangerous products from the marketplace.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Risk Factor

It’s estimated that three out of five businesses will be sued by their employees. Companies are vulnerable during the pre-hire process, throughout employment, and during a reduction in workforce. Claims can arise in any size operation. You can do everything right and still be sued.

Solution

Coverage comes in the form of a standalone policy and is critical to your risk management strategy. It protects against discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, and other employment-related allegations.

Crop Insurance
Risk Factor

Without viable grapes, you would be unable to produce wine. Therefore, protecting your grape harvest should be your first line of defense.

Solution

Wineries need crop insurance for the cost of crop damage due to weather, vine/insect infections, fires, floods, and other hazards.

Outdoor Vine and Trellis Coverage
Risk Factor

Damage to vines and trellises can hinder production of your wines, resulting in in loss of product and revenue.

Solution

Outdoor vine and trellis coverage protects against losses associated with wind, fire, vandalism, vehicles, and aircraft damage that threaten the growth of the grapes.

Farm Liability
Risk Factor

A farm can be more than your place of business; it can also be your home. For this reason, you need to make sure that what you have worked to build is protected.

Solution

Farm liability insurance is designed to meet your farm’s unique needs, often including premises, operations, farm product, pollution, and other farm-specific liabilities.

Special Events
Risk Factor

Wineries often participate in numerous events throughout the year. Many insurance policies contain what’s known as a designated premises endorsement. At a high level, this limits coverage to the premise named on the policy (the winery). Participating in a Winery Expo or 5k Fun Run? Liability associated with events like those may not be covered.

Solution

Make sure you have coverage that extends to any events in which you wish to participate.

Environmental Liability
Risk Factor

Environmental liability exposures are not just for oil companies, nuclear power plants, and industrial mining operations. Wineries have wastewater and waste management concerns. Depending on the location of the winery, previous use of property may also be an issue.

Solution

Strict liability laws apply to the winery industry. Court-ordered injunctions, fines, and cleanup costs can be crippling. Almost all commercial liability policies contain some type of pollution exclusion. Coverage exists for this exposure through a standalone policy.

What Insurance Does A Winery And Vineyard Need?

Since there is a broad variety of vineyards and wineries, it depends on everything your winery does. If you host events and serve alcohol you may need liquor liability insurance as well as event insurance. If you have a fleet of vehicles that ships your wines and transports them to businesses to sell at a variety of locations do you need commercial vehicle insurance. There’s also the crops that your winery comes from. You might consider getting crop insurance for your vineyard. Listed below are a few common types of insurance for a vineyard:

  • Winery And Vineyard Business Owners Policy (BOP): Getting a business owner’s policy for a winery is essentially a bundle of business insurance coverages designed to protect your vineyard’s assets. A BOP is a combination of liability insurance and property insurance all in one policy. learn more about vineyard liability insurance below. Bundling your business insurance usually makes it more affordable.
  • Winery And Vineyard General Liability Insurance: Liability insurance for a winery is so important to have. This protects you in law suit situations and can help you to continue managing the winery while going through all of the extra paperwork and time consumption that a lawsuit entails. Protect yourself from lawsuits your business might sustain. Not having liability insurance could result in your winery being forced to close.
  • Winery And Vineyard Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Having workers’ compensation for your winery employees is so important. Not only is it required by the state that you have workers’ compensation, but it also helps save you money. By having workmans’ comp you are more likely to retain employees and vineyard workers, especially over the off season.
  • Winery And Vineyard Business Crime Insurance: When running a winery you know there is potential for theft to occur. Your wine is extremely valuable. Having crime insurance for your vineyard will protect you, your business, and your assets.
  • Winery And Vineyard Cyber Liability Insurance: Cyber liability insurance is something almost every business needs but rarely realizes it until it is too late. Think about any aspect of your winery that is present online. Imagine if any of that information or data were stolen or destroyed. Lacking cybersecurity has the potential to not only damage your business and reputation but to fully close your winery doors.
  • Winery And Vineyard Property Insurance: Having property insurance for your winery will protect your organization’s assets and investments. Your vineyard’s crops are the very lifeblood of your business. Be prepared for fire, flooding, theft, or accidental damages that can occur on your winery property.
  • Winery And Vineyard Umbrella Insurance: Having umbrella insurance for your winery is such an effective way to protect your business. Umbrella insurance takes all of your existing winery insurance and increases its effectiveness with additional payout coverage.
  • Winery And Vineyard Commercial Auto Insurance: Another insurance you might need is commercial auto for your winery. Vehicles are one of your largest investments, make sure you protect them.
  • Winery And Vineyard Liquor Liability Insurance: If you serve alcohol at your winery you should have liquor liability insurance to protect your business.

 

Winery And Vineyard Employee Benefits

  • Winery And Vineyard Health Benefits: Get group health insurance for your winery employees. Keeping employees at your winery business can be difficult, but by offering health insurance you can increase employee retainment and health for your whole organization.
  • Winery And Vineyard Vision Benefits: Get vision benefits for your winery employees. Not every business offers group vision insurance, especially not every winery. This benefit will help your employees see how much you care about them and their vision.
  • Winery And Vineyard Dental Benefits: Get group dental insurance for your winery employees. Providing dental benefits makes your business stand out to potential employees.

Does My Winery Need Business Insurance?

As a business you are legally required to have Workmen’s Compensation for your employees as well as insurance on your vehicles. This is the minimum coverage for a winery. If you want to protect your business and make sure it continues to grow and have a future, it is wise to purchase insurance for your winery so you are protected when the unexpected occurs.

East Coast Winery Insurance

Strickler insurance is located in Lebanon Pennsylvania. Within our county in the states surrounding us towards Northeast there are a large amount of wineries. We have experience with a variety of types are able to provide some of the best winery insurance coverage on the East Coast. Contact us to learn about our coverage options and to protect your vineyard.

Get Winery And Vineyard Insurance From Strickler Insurance

Strickler Insurance has been located in central Pennsylvania for over 160 years. Get your winery insurance in  Pennsylvania or one of our neighboring states. At Strickler we hope to provide the best winery insurance. We provide winery coverage in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Contact us today for a free winery insurance quote!

Winery Insurance - Group of Wine Glasses Being Displayed for a Tasting

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