1. SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Organization and operations	Organization and operations – Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. (the “Company”) owns and operates vineyards and a winery located in the state of Oregon, and produces and distributes premium, super premium, and ultra-premium wines, primarily Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling. The Company has direct-to-consumer sales and national sales to distributors. These sales channels offer comparable products to customers and utilize similar processes and share resources for production, selling and distribution. Direct-to-consumer sales generate a higher gross profit margin than national sales to distributors due to differentiated pricing between these segments.
Basis of presentation	Basis of presentation – The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Financial instruments and concentrations of risk	Financial instruments and concentrations of risk – The Company has the following financial instruments: cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, grapes payable and long-term debt. Cash and cash equivalents are maintained at five financial institutions. Deposits held with these financial institutions may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. Generally, these deposits may be redeemed upon demand and are maintained with a financial institution of reputable credit and therefore bear minimal credit risk. In 2018, sales to one distributor represented approximately 21.0% of total Company revenue. In 2017, sales to one distributor represented approximately 18.2% of total Company revenue.
Other comprehensive income	Other comprehensive income – The nature of the Company’s business and related transactions do not give rise to other comprehensive income.
Cash and cash equivalents	Cash and cash equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents include money market funds.
Accounts receivable	Accounts receivable – The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and does not require collateral. A reserve is maintained for potential credit losses. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on an assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. The Company has credit risk associated with uncollateralized trade accounts receivable from all operations totaling $2,352,890 and $1,760,039 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 exclusive of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is further discussed in Note 2.
Inventories	Inventories – For Company produced wines, after a portion of the vineyard becomes commercially productive, the annual crop and production costs relating to such portion are recognized as work-in-process inventories. Such costs are accumulated with related direct and indirect harvest costs, wine processing and production costs, and are transferred to finished goods inventories when the wine is produced, bottled, and ready for sale. The cost of finished goods is recognized as cost of sales when the wine product is sold. Inventories are stated at the lower of first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) cost or net realizable value by variety. In accordance with general practices in the wine industry, wine inventories are generally included in current assets in the accompanying balance sheets, although a portion of such inventories may be aged for more than one year (Note 3).
Vineyard development costs	Vineyard development costs – Vineyard development costs consist primarily of the costs of the vines and expenditures related to labor and materials to prepare the land and construct vine trellises. The costs are capitalized until the vineyard becomes commercially productive, at which time annual amortization is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated economic useful life of the vineyard, which is estimated to be 30 years. Accumulated amortization of vineyard development costs aggregated $1,447,545 and $1,287,682 at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Amortization of vineyard development costs are included in capitalized crop costs that in turn are included in inventory costs and ultimately become a component of cost of goods sold. For the years ending December 31, 2018 and 2017, approximately $159,863 and $101,860, respectively, was amortized into inventory costs.
Property and equipment	Property and equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated on the straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Land improvements are depreciated over 15 years. Winery buildings are depreciated over 30 years. Equipment is depreciated over 3 to 10 years, depending on the classification of the asset. Depreciation is discussed further in Note 4. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operating expense as incurred. Expenditures for additions and betterments are capitalized. When assets are sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is included in operations.
Review of long-lived assets for impairment	Review of long-lived assets for impairment - The Company evaluates long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Long-lived assets consist primarily of property and equipment. Circumstances that might cause the Company to evaluate its long-lived assets for impairment could include a significant decline in the prices the Company or the industry can charge for its products, which could be caused by general economic or other factors, changes in laws or regulations that make it difficult or more costly for the Company to distribute its products to its markets at prices which generate adequate returns, natural disasters, significant decrease in demand for the Company’s products or significant increase in the costs to manufacture the Company’s products. Recoverability of assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. The Company groups its long-lived assets with other assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities (or asset group). This would typically be at the winery level. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges associated with long-lived assets during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Distribution agreement receivable	Distribution agreement receivable – Effective September 1, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with Young’s Market Company for distribution of Company-produced wines in Oregon and Washington. The terms of this contract include exclusive rights to distribute Willamette Valley Vineyard’s wines in Oregon and Washington for seven years. In an effort to facilitate the transition, with as little disruption as possible, Young’s Market Company agreed to compensate Willamette Valley Vineyards for ongoing Oregon sales and branding efforts. As a result, the Company was due to receive $250,000 per year starting on September 2011 for each of the next four years for a total of $1,000,000. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has no distribution agreement receivable with the final payment having been made in 2014. The total amount of $1,000,000 received by the Company related to this agreement is being recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the seven-year life of the agreement. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has recognized revenue related to this agreement in the amount of $95,220 and $142,860, respectively, recorded to other income. As of December 31, 2018 this distribution agreement has been fully amortized.
Income taxes	Income taxes – Income taxes are recognized using enacted tax rates and are composed of taxes on financial accounting income that is adjusted for requirements of current tax law, and deferred taxes. Deferred taxes are estimated using the asset and liability approach whereby deferred income taxes are calculated for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the book basis and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities. The Company had no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018 or 2017. The Company recognizes interest assessed by taxing authorities as a component of tax expense. The Company recognizes any penalties assessed by taxing authorities as a component of tax expense. Interest and penalties for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were not material. The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as well as income tax returns in Oregon, California, South Carolina and Connecticut. The Company may be subject to examination by the IRS for tax years 2015 through 2018. Additionally, the Company may be subject to examinations by state taxing jurisdictions for tax years 2014 through 2018. The Company is not aware of any current examinations by the IRS or the state taxing authorities.
Deferred rent liability	Deferred rent liability – The Company leases land under a sale-leaseback agreement. The long-term operating lease has minimum lease payments that escalate every year. For accounting purposes, rent expense is recognized on the straight-line basis by dividing the total minimum rents due during the lease by the number of months in the lease. In the early years of a lease with escalation clauses, this treatment results in rental expense recognition in excess of rents paid, and the creation of a long-term deferred rent liability. As the lease matures, the deferred rent liability will decrease, and the rental expense recognized will be less than the rents actually paid. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, rent costs paid in excess of amounts recognized totaled $31,543 and $31,543, respectively.
Revenue recognition	Revenue recognition – The Company recognizes revenue once its performance obligation to the customer is completed and control of the product or service is transferred to the customer. Revenue reflects the total amount the Company receives, or expects to receive, from the customer and includes shipping costs that are billed and included in the consideration. Excise taxes that are accrued and paid, as a result of transaction, are accounted for as an offset to sales in the net sales calculation. The Company’s contractual obligations to customers generally have a single point of obligation and are short term in nature. Distributor Sales Segment – Wholesale wine sales are through distributors and the Company recognizes revenue when the product is shipped, and title passes to the distributor. The Company’s standard terms are ‘FOB’ shipping point, with no customer acceptance provisions. The cost of price promotions and rebates are treated as reductions of revenue. No products are sold on consignment. Credit sales are recorded as trade accounts receivable and no collateral is required. The Company has price incentive programs with its distributors to encourage product placement and depletions. The Company estimates the depletion liability and accrues it as a reduction to revenue in the same period the revenue is recognized. Incentive program payments are made when completed incentive program payment requests are received from the customers. Incentive payments to a customer reduce the incentive program accrued liability and any differences between the accrued liability and the actual depletion incentive are recognized when the payment is made. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded incentive program expenses of $970,462 and $799,942, respectively, as a reduction in sales on the income statement. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company has recorded an incentive program liability in the amount of $41,015 and $49,075, respectively, which is included in accrued expenses on the balance sheet. Direct Sales Segment – The Company sells wine directly to customers through its tasting rooms, web site and wine club. Additionally, the Company sells merchandise, food and hospitality related services through its tasting rooms. Tasting room and web site sales are paid for and recognized as revenue at the point of sale. Hospitality sales, that are paid in advance of the event, are accrued as unearned revenue and are subsequently recognized as revenue in the period of the event. Wine club sales are made under an agreement with the customer which specifies the quantity and timing of the wine club shipment. Wine club charges are billed to the customer’s credit card, at the time of shipment, and revenue is then recognized. The Company periodically sells bulk wine or grapes that either do not meet the Company’s quality standards or are in excess of production requirements. These sales are recognized when ownership transfers to the buyer which occurs at the point of shipment.
Cost of goods sold	Cost of goods sold – Costs of goods sold include costs associated with grape growing, external grape costs, packaging materials, winemaking and production costs, vineyard and production administrative support and overhead costs, purchasing and receiving costs and warehousing costs. Administrative support, purchasing, receiving and most other fixed overhead costs are expensed as selling, general and administrative expenses without regard to inventory units. Warehouse and winery production and facilities costs, which make up approximately 12% of total costs, are allocated to inventory units on a per gallon basis during the production of wine, prior to bottling the final product. No further costs are allocated to inventory units after bottling.
Selling, general and administrative expenses	Selling, general and administrative expenses – Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of non-manufacturing administrative and overhead costs, advertising and other marketing promotions. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred or the first time the advertising takes place. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, advertising costs incurred were approximately $212,984 and $136,935 respectively. The Company provides an allowance to distributors for providing sample of products to potential customers. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, these costs, which are included in selling, general and administrative expenses, totaled approximately $101,638 and $116,816, respectively.
Shipping and handling costs	Shipping and handling costs – Amounts paid by customers to the Company for shipping and handling costs are included in the net revenue. Costs incurred for shipping and handling charges are included in selling, general and administrative expense. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, such costs totaled approximately $530,223 and $502,018, respectively. The Company’s gross margins may not be comparable to other companies in the same industry as other companies may include shipping and handling costs as a cost of goods sold.
Excise taxes	Excise taxes – The Company pays alcohol excise taxes based on product sales to both the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The Company is liable for the taxes upon the removal of product from the Company’s warehouse on a per gallon basis. The federal tax rate is affected by a small winery tax credit provision which declines based upon the number of gallons of wine production in a year rather than the quantity sold. The Company also pays taxes on the grape harvest on a per ton basis to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for the Oregon Wine Advisory. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, excise taxes incurred were approximately $226,265 and $532,379 respectively.
Income per common share after preferred dividends	Income per common share after preferred dividends – Income per share is computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding each year.
Recently issued accounting standards	Recently issued accounting standards (adopted) – In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), a new standard to achieve a consistent application of revenue recognition within the U.S., resulting in a single revenue model to be applied by reporting companies under GAAP. The original effective date for ASU 2014-09 would have required adoption by the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 with early adoption prohibited. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Deferral of the Effective Date (“ASU 2015-14”), which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for one year and permits early adoption in accordance with the original effective date of ASU 2014-09. The new revenue standard was required to be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or prospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized at the date of initial application. The Company adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified prospective method. The Company evaluated the effect of the standard and concluded it was not material to the Company’s financial reporting. Additionally, the Company concluded that the application of the standard did not have a material effect that would require a retrospective adjustment. The Company recognizes revenue when obligations under the terms of a contract with its customer are satisfied, generally, this occurs when the product is shipped, and title passes to the customer. The Company’s standard terms are ‘FOB’ shipping point, with no customer acceptance provisions. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration expected to be received in exchange for transferring products. The cost of price promotions and rebates are treated as reductions of revenue. No products are sold on consignment. Credit sales are recorded as trade accounts receivable and no collateral is required. Revenue from items sold through the Company’s retail locations is recognized at the time of sale. Net revenue reported herein is shown net of sales allowances and excise taxes. If the conditions for revenue recognition are not met, the Company defers the revenue until all conditions are met. As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the Company has recorded deferred revenue in the amount of $224,848 and $103,246, respectively, which is included in unearned revenue on the balance sheet. The Company has price incentive programs with its distributors to encourage product placement and depletions. When recording a sale to the customer, an incentive program liability is recorded to accrued liabilities and sales are reported net of incentive program expenses. Incentive program payments are made when completed incentive program payment requests are received from the customers. Incentive payments to a customer reduce the incentive program accrued liability. For the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded incentive program expenses of $970,462 and $799,942, respectively, as a reduction in sales on the Statement of Income. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company has recorded an incentive program liability in the amount of $41,015 and $49,075, respectively, which is included in accrued expenses on the balance sheet. Estimates are based on historical and projected experience for each type of program or customer and have historically been in line with actual costs incurred. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 320) (“ASU 2016-15”), which clarifies the presentation of certain cash receipts and cash payment in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 on January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements. Recently issued accounting standards (not yet adopted) - In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”). This update requires that lessees recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by all leases with terms of more than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 also will require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include both qualitative and quantitative information. The effective date for ASU 2016-02 is for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018 with earlier adoption permitted. The Company has evaluated the impact of the pending adoption of this new standard on its financial statements and has determined right-of-use assets to be approximately $5.0 million as of December 31, 2018 of which approximately $4.8 million, or 96.0%, represent the lease of vineyard property. The Company will recognize these right-of-use assets, and their respective liabilities, and amortize them prospectively beginning in first quarter 2019. The Company believes implementing this standard will have a material impact on its Balance Sheet but a minimal direct impact on its Statement of Income. Because 96.0% of the Company’s leases are for vineyard land, lease costs are recognized either as part of capitalized vineyard development costs or inventory valuation depending on the productive or pre-productive nature of the vineyard. Therefore, most changes to lease expenses as a result of this standard will flow through inventory and ultimately become part of cost of sales. The accounting standards that have been issued by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements upon adoption.

1. SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Organization and operations – Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. (the “Company”) owns and operates vineyards and a winery located in the state of Oregon, and produces and distributes premium, super premium, and ultra-premium wines, primarily Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

The Company has direct-to-consumer sales and national sales to distributors. These sales channels offer comparable products to customers and utilize similar processes and share resources for production, selling and distribution. Direct-to-consumer sales generate a higher gross profit margin than national sales to distributors due to differentiated pricing between these segments.

Basis of presentation

Basis of presentation – The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Financial instruments and concentrations of risk

Financial instruments and concentrations of risk – The Company has the following financial instruments: cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, grapes payable and long-term debt.

Cash and cash equivalents are maintained at five financial institutions. Deposits held with these financial institutions may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. Generally, these deposits may be redeemed upon demand and are maintained with a financial institution of reputable credit and therefore bear minimal credit risk.

In 2018, sales to one distributor represented approximately 21.0% of total Company revenue. In 2017, sales to one distributor represented approximately 18.2% of total Company revenue.

Other comprehensive income

Other comprehensive income – The nature of the Company’s business and related transactions do not give rise to other comprehensive income.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents include money market funds.

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable – The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and does not require collateral. A reserve is maintained for potential credit losses. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on an assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. The Company has credit risk associated with uncollateralized trade accounts receivable from all operations totaling $2,352,890 and $1,760,039 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 exclusive of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is further discussed in Note 2.

Inventories

Inventories – For Company produced wines, after a portion of the vineyard becomes commercially productive, the annual crop and production costs relating to such portion are recognized as work-in-process inventories. Such costs are accumulated with related direct and indirect harvest costs, wine processing and production costs, and are transferred to finished goods inventories when the wine is produced, bottled, and ready for sale.

The cost of finished goods is recognized as cost of sales when the wine product is sold. Inventories are stated at the lower of first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) cost or net realizable value by variety.

In accordance with general practices in the wine industry, wine inventories are generally included in current assets in the accompanying balance sheets, although a portion of such inventories may be aged for more than one year (Note 3).

Vineyard development costs

Vineyard development costs – Vineyard development costs consist primarily of the costs of the vines and expenditures related to labor and materials to prepare the land and construct vine trellises. The costs are capitalized until the vineyard becomes commercially productive, at which time annual amortization is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated economic useful life of the vineyard, which is estimated to be 30 years. Accumulated amortization of vineyard development costs aggregated $1,447,545 and $1,287,682 at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Amortization of vineyard development costs are included in capitalized crop costs that in turn are included in inventory costs and ultimately become a component of cost of goods sold. For the years ending December 31, 2018 and 2017, approximately $159,863 and $101,860, respectively, was amortized into inventory costs.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated on the straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Land improvements are depreciated over 15 years. Winery buildings are depreciated over 30 years. Equipment is depreciated over 3 to 10 years, depending on the classification of the asset. Depreciation is discussed further in Note 4.

Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operating expense as incurred. Expenditures for additions and betterments are capitalized. When assets are sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts, and any resulting gain or loss is included in operations.

Review of long-lived assets for impairment

Review of long-lived assets for impairment - The Company evaluates long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Long-lived assets consist primarily of property and equipment. Circumstances that might cause the Company to evaluate its long-lived assets for impairment could include a significant decline in the prices the Company or the industry can charge for its products, which could be caused by general economic or other factors, changes in laws or regulations that make it difficult or more costly for the Company to distribute its products to its markets at prices which generate adequate returns, natural disasters, significant decrease in demand for the Company’s products or significant increase in the costs to manufacture the Company’s products.

Recoverability of assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. The Company groups its long-lived assets with other assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities (or asset group). This would typically be at the winery level. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges associated with long-lived assets during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

Distribution agreement receivable

Distribution agreement receivable – Effective September 1, 2011, the Company entered into an agreement with Young’s Market Company for distribution of Company-produced wines in Oregon and Washington. The terms of this contract include exclusive rights to distribute Willamette Valley Vineyard’s wines in Oregon and Washington for seven years. In an effort to facilitate the transition, with as little disruption as possible, Young’s Market Company agreed to compensate Willamette Valley Vineyards for ongoing Oregon sales and branding efforts. As a result, the Company was due to receive $250,000 per year starting on September 2011 for each of the next four years for a total of $1,000,000. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has no distribution agreement receivable with the final payment having been made in 2014. The total amount of $1,000,000 received by the Company related to this agreement is being recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the seven-year life of the agreement. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company has recognized revenue related to this agreement in the amount of $95,220 and $142,860, respectively, recorded to other income. As of December 31, 2018 this distribution agreement has been fully amortized.

Income taxes

Income taxes – Income taxes are recognized using enacted tax rates and are composed of taxes on financial accounting income that is adjusted for requirements of current tax law, and deferred taxes. Deferred taxes are estimated using the asset and liability approach whereby deferred income taxes are calculated for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the book basis and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities.

The Company had no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018 or 2017. The Company recognizes interest assessed by taxing authorities as a component of tax expense. The Company recognizes any penalties assessed by taxing authorities as a component of tax expense. Interest and penalties for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were not material.

The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as well as income tax returns in Oregon, California, South Carolina and Connecticut. The Company may be subject to examination by the IRS for tax years 2015 through 2018. Additionally, the Company may be subject to examinations by state taxing jurisdictions for tax years 2014 through 2018. The Company is not aware of any current examinations by the IRS or the state taxing authorities.

Deferred rent liability

Deferred rent liability – The Company leases land under a sale-leaseback agreement. The long-term operating lease has minimum lease payments that escalate every year. For accounting purposes, rent expense is recognized on the straight-line basis by dividing the total minimum rents due during the lease by the number of months in the lease. In the early years of a lease with escalation clauses, this treatment results in rental expense recognition in excess of rents paid, and the creation of a long-term deferred rent liability. As the lease matures, the deferred rent liability will decrease, and the rental expense recognized will be less than the rents actually paid. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, rent costs paid in excess of amounts recognized totaled $31,543 and $31,543, respectively.

Revenue recognition

Revenue recognition – The Company recognizes revenue once its performance obligation to the customer is completed and control of the product or service is transferred to the customer. Revenue reflects the total amount the Company receives, or expects to receive, from the customer and includes shipping costs that are billed and included in the consideration. Excise taxes that are accrued and paid, as a result of transaction, are accounted for as an offset to sales in the net sales calculation. The Company’s contractual obligations to customers generally have a single point of obligation and are short term in nature.

Distributor Sales Segment – Wholesale wine sales are through distributors and the Company recognizes revenue when the product is shipped, and title passes to the distributor. The Company’s standard terms are ‘FOB’ shipping point, with no customer acceptance provisions. The cost of price promotions and rebates are treated as reductions of revenue. No products are sold on consignment. Credit sales are recorded as trade accounts receivable and no collateral is required.

The Company has price incentive programs with its distributors to encourage product placement and depletions. The Company estimates the depletion liability and accrues it as a reduction to revenue in the same period the revenue is recognized. Incentive program payments are made when completed incentive program payment requests are received from the customers. Incentive payments to a customer reduce the incentive program accrued liability and any differences between the accrued liability and the actual depletion incentive are recognized when the payment is made. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded incentive program expenses of $970,462 and $799,942, respectively, as a reduction in sales on the income statement. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company has recorded an incentive program liability in the amount of $41,015 and $49,075, respectively, which is included in accrued expenses on the balance sheet.

Direct Sales Segment – The Company sells wine directly to customers through its tasting rooms, web site and wine club. Additionally, the Company sells merchandise, food and hospitality related services through its tasting rooms.

Tasting room and web site sales are paid for and recognized as revenue at the point of sale. Hospitality sales, that are paid in advance of the event, are accrued as unearned revenue and are subsequently recognized as revenue in the period of the event. Wine club sales are made under an agreement with the customer which specifies the quantity and timing of the wine club shipment. Wine club charges are billed to the customer’s credit card, at the time of shipment, and revenue is then recognized.

The Company periodically sells bulk wine or grapes that either do not meet the Company’s quality standards or are in excess of production requirements. These sales are recognized when ownership transfers to the buyer which occurs at the point of shipment.

Cost of goods sold

Cost of goods sold – Costs of goods sold include costs associated with grape growing, external grape costs, packaging materials, winemaking and production costs, vineyard and production administrative support and overhead costs, purchasing and receiving costs and warehousing costs.

Administrative support, purchasing, receiving and most other fixed overhead costs are expensed as selling, general and administrative expenses without regard to inventory units. Warehouse and winery production and facilities costs, which make up approximately 12% of total costs, are allocated to inventory units on a per gallon basis during the production of wine, prior to bottling the final product. No further costs are allocated to inventory units after bottling.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses – Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of non-manufacturing administrative and overhead costs, advertising and other marketing promotions. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred or the first time the advertising takes place. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, advertising costs incurred were approximately $212,984 and $136,935 respectively.

The Company provides an allowance to distributors for providing sample of products to potential customers. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, these costs, which are included in selling, general and administrative expenses, totaled approximately $101,638 and $116,816, respectively.

Shipping and handling costs

Shipping and handling costs – Amounts paid by customers to the Company for shipping and handling costs are included in the net revenue. Costs incurred for shipping and handling charges are included in selling, general and administrative expense. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, such costs totaled approximately $530,223 and $502,018, respectively. The Company’s gross margins may not be comparable to other companies in the same industry as other companies may include shipping and handling costs as a cost of goods sold.

Excise taxes

Excise taxes – The Company pays alcohol excise taxes based on product sales to both the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The Company is liable for the taxes upon the removal of product from the Company’s warehouse on a per gallon basis. The federal tax rate is affected by a small winery tax credit provision which declines based upon the number of gallons of wine production in a year rather than the quantity sold. The Company also pays taxes on the grape harvest on a per ton basis to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for the Oregon Wine Advisory. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, excise taxes incurred were approximately $226,265 and $532,379 respectively.

Income per common share after preferred dividends

Income per common share after preferred dividends – Income per share is computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding each year.

Recently issued accounting standards

Recently issued accounting standards (adopted) – In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), a new standard to achieve a consistent application of revenue recognition within the U.S., resulting in a single revenue model to be applied by reporting companies under GAAP. The original effective date for ASU 2014-09 would have required adoption by the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 with early adoption prohibited. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) - Deferral of the Effective Date (“ASU 2015-14”), which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for one year and permits early adoption in accordance with the original effective date of ASU 2014-09.

The new revenue standard was required to be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or prospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized at the date of initial application. The Company adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified prospective method. The Company evaluated the effect of the standard and concluded it was not material to the Company’s financial reporting. Additionally, the Company concluded that the application of the standard did not have a material effect that would require a retrospective adjustment.

The Company recognizes revenue when obligations under the terms of a contract with its customer are satisfied, generally, this occurs when the product is shipped, and title passes to the customer. The Company’s standard terms are ‘FOB’ shipping point, with no customer acceptance provisions. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration expected to be received in exchange for transferring products. The cost of price promotions and rebates are treated as reductions of revenue. No products are sold on consignment. Credit sales are recorded as trade accounts receivable and no collateral is required. Revenue from items sold through the Company’s retail locations is recognized at the time of sale. Net revenue reported herein is shown net of sales allowances and excise taxes. If the conditions for revenue recognition are not met, the Company defers the revenue until all conditions are met. As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the Company has recorded deferred revenue in the amount of $224,848 and $103,246, respectively, which is included in unearned revenue on the balance sheet.

The Company has price incentive programs with its distributors to encourage product placement and depletions. When recording a sale to the customer, an incentive program liability is recorded to accrued liabilities and sales are reported net of incentive program expenses. Incentive program payments are made when completed incentive program payment requests are received from the customers. Incentive payments to a customer reduce the incentive program accrued liability. For the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded incentive program expenses of $970,462 and $799,942, respectively, as a reduction in sales on the Statement of Income. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company has recorded an incentive program liability in the amount of $41,015 and $49,075, respectively, which is included in accrued expenses on the balance sheet. Estimates are based on historical and projected experience for each type of program or customer and have historically been in line with actual costs incurred.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 320) (“ASU 2016-15”), which clarifies the presentation of certain cash receipts and cash payment in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 on January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements.

Recently issued accounting standards (not yet adopted) - In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”). This update requires that lessees recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by all leases with terms of more than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 also will require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include both qualitative and quantitative information. The effective date for ASU 2016-02 is for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018 with earlier adoption permitted. The Company has evaluated the impact of the pending adoption of this new standard on its financial statements and has determined right-of-use assets to be approximately $5.0 million as of December 31, 2018 of which approximately $4.8 million, or 96.0%, represent the lease of vineyard property. The Company will recognize these right-of-use assets, and their respective liabilities, and amortize them prospectively beginning in first quarter 2019. The Company believes implementing this standard will have a material impact on its Balance Sheet but a minimal direct impact on its Statement of Income. Because 96.0% of the Company’s leases are for vineyard land, lease costs are recognized either as part of capitalized vineyard development costs or inventory valuation depending on the productive or pre-productive nature of the vineyard. Therefore, most changes to lease expenses as a result of this standard will flow through inventory and ultimately become part of cost of sales.

The accounting standards that have been issued by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements upon adoption.