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Shiner Registration Process

Shiner Registration Process

Shiner Registration Process

A Wine Maker or Small Wine Maker licensee may purchase unlabeled bottles of wine, called shiners, from another winery under certain conditions and then register and label the shiners for sale in a tasting room, for direct shipment to customers with a Direct Shipper license, or for distribution to retailer licensees.  An out-of-state winery that holds a Direct Shipper license may also sell and ship wine that it bought as shiners from another winery as long as the winery receiving the shiners also manufactures or bottles wine.

Step 1
Winery #1 Manufactures and Bottles Shiners of Wine

Shiner Definition

MCL 436.1111(10) defines shiner as "...an unlabeled, sealed container of wine, including a keg, that is sold by a Wine Maker, Small Wine Maker, or out-of-state entity that is the substantial equivalent of a Wine Maker or Small Wine Maker to another Wine Maker, Small Wine Maker, or out-of-state entity that is the substantial equivalent of a Wine Maker or Small Wine Maker."

Step 2
Winery #1 Obtains COLA from TTB for Shiner Label

Federal Label Registration Requirements

Federal regulations require that the entity bottling wine in shiners must obtain a certificate of label approval (COLA) for the wine it bottles for another entity, even if the purchasing or receiving entity will affix the labels to shiners, pursuant to 27 CFR 24.257. For more details on the federal transfer in bond requirements for shiners, please visit the federal Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) frequently asked questions webpage and scroll down to question W8.

The name and address of the wine bottler must be listed on the label pursuant to MCL 436.1109(1) and 27 CFR 4.35.

Step 3
Winery #1 Transfers Shiners to Winery #2

Manufacturing Requirements to Qualify to Purchase Shiners to Sell in Michigan

Under MCL 436.1204a, one Wine Maker or Small Wine Maker license may sell shiners of wine to another Wine Maker or Small Wine Maker licensee. In order to qualify to receive the shiners of wine and sell them, the licensee purchasing or receiving the shiners must manufacture wine of its own on its licensed premises or, if it is a Small Wine Maker licensee, bottle bulk wine.

Under MCL 436.1203, an out-of-state winery that holds a Direct Shipper license may sell and ship wine to customers in Michigan that the winery purchased as shiners from another winery as long as the winery that sells and ships the wine to Michigan customers complies with MCL 436.1204a by manufacturing or bottling wine of its own.

Step 4
Winery #2 Registers Shiners in SIPS+

Michigan Label Registration Requirements

Administrative rule R 436.1719(1)(c) states, "bottled wine shall not be offered for sale, kept for sale, sold, delivered, or otherwise introduced into this state unless... the wine has received a registration number of approval from the Commission." The licensee purchasing or receiving the shiners must register the wine on in Sales Inventory Purchasing System (SIPS+) using the federal COLA number obtained by the bottling licensee and receive the registration number of approval by the Commission before applying the labels to the shiners.

Step 5
Winery #2 Affixes Labels to Shiners

Labeling Shiners

MCL 436.1111(10) states, "The purchasing wine maker or small wine maker must attach a label to the container using equipment owned or leased by the purchasing wine maker or small wine maker, register the wine label with the commission, and sell it as provided for in this act."

The name and address of the wine bottler must be listed on the label pursuant to MCL 436.1109(1) and 27 CFR 4.35.