Wine Distributor Sample Sheet Template for Importer Operations Teams

Build a sample sheet that controls the complete handoff

This guide is for alcohol importer operations teams sending wine samples to distributor offices, portfolio reviews, sales representatives, and approved trade recipients. It includes a copyable sample-sheet template, recipient and market distinctions, an intake-to-closeout workflow, version control, and a final QA checklist.

A useful sample sheet answers practical questions before a bottle leaves inventory: Which exact wine is going out? Who approved it? Who will receive it? How will it travel? What commercial purpose does it serve? What happened after delivery?

Treat the sheet as an operations record, not as proof that a shipment or tasting is lawful. Federal rules for samples imported into the United States serve a different purpose from rules about giving samples to retailers. State laws, local rules, distributor policies, carrier terms, and the licenses held by each party can add restrictions. This guide is not legal advice. Route each market and recipient type through the qualified compliance owner before shipment.

Separate three activities that are easy to confuse

The word sample can describe several transactions. Classify the activity before applying a rule or filling the sheet.

Importing a commercial sample into the United States

This is the inbound movement of foreign wine for a limited commercial purpose. Under 27 CFR 27.49, a commercial import sample can qualify for an internal-revenue-tax exemption when it is used by a person importing alcohol in commercial quantities to solicit orders for a foreign product. The exemption is limited to one sample of each wine product per person during a calendar quarter, and the wine sample may contain no more than 4 ounces. Those limits belong to this specific federal tax exemption. They are not a general allowance for domestic distributor sample shipments.

TTB also describes a separate waiver route for alcohol imported strictly for trade shows or soliciting orders. Its trade show and soliciting-orders sample guidance says an importer may request a COLA waiver and must provide shipment, product, quantity, purpose, port, and importer information. TTB’s current instructions require every container covered by the waiver to carry sample-only and health-warning statements, and the agency says waiver processing usually takes about 15 days. For wine, the sulfite declaration applies when sulfur dioxide or a sulfiting agent is detected at 10 or more parts per million under 27 CFR 4.32. Confirm the current process before planning arrival because the guidance is time-sensitive.

The labeling exemption in 27 CFR 27.74 applies to wine and beer samples brought in under section 27.49. It does not turn every imported sample into an unlabeled exception. Record the authority and compliance approval for the actual inbound method rather than writing sample in the purpose field and assuming an exemption.

Importing normal bottled wine for commercial release

Wine imported in containers for sale or another commercial purpose generally needs a COLA before release from customs custody. The importer must possess or be authorized to use the approval, and the container must bear the approved label or an authorized change, as detailed in 27 CFR 4.40. TTB’s bottled alcohol import guidance also separates importer permits, taxes and duties, label approval, other federal-agency obligations, and state requirements.

Once normal commercial inventory is in the importer warehouse, a distributor sample pull is an outbound inventory event. Do not keep using the inbound waiver or tax-exemption status as a substitute for reviewing the outbound recipient, state, and shipment.

Furnishing wine to a retailer

Federal tied-house rules include a retailer sample provision in 27 CFR 6.91. It addresses an industry member furnishing a sample to a retailer that has not purchased the brand from that industry member during the preceding 12 months and sets a limit of 3 liters of a wine brand per retail establishment, with a next-larger-size provision when the product is not available within the limit.

That is a federal retailer rule. It is not a distributor sample inventory limit, a public tasting authorization, or a complete state-law answer. Before using it, compliance should confirm the relationship between the industry member, retailer, brand, recipient state, licenses, and any more restrictive local rule.

Use this copyable wine distributor sample sheet template

Create one header for the request, then one line per physical wine item. Keep internal approval and cost fields out of the recipient-facing version when the recipient does not need them.

Request header

Field	Entry
Sample request ID	[Controlled request number]
Request date	[Date received]
Requested by	[Name, company, role]
Distributor and market	[Distributor, state, territory]
Business purpose	[Portfolio review, rep education, buyer follow-up, event]
Recipient type	[Licensed distributor, licensed retailer, approved commercial recipient]
Ship-to name and company	[Verified legal or operating name]
Ship-to address	[Approved commercial address]
Recipient phone and email	[Delivery and follow-up contact]
License verification	[Owner, source, status, review date]
Compliance approval	[Approver, decision, date, conditions]
Requested arrival	[Date and receiving window]
Shipping method	[Approved carrier or company delivery]
Adult signature or receiving rule	[Carrier and market instruction]
Cost center or budget owner	[Internal owner]
Request owner	[Person accountable through closeout]
Overall status	[Draft, awaiting approval, approved, shipped, delivered, closed]
Revision	[Revision ID and date]

Item lines

Line	Importer SKU	Producer and wine	Vintage	Bottle size	Quantity	Lot or case reference	Sample source	Purpose note	Status
1	[SKU]	[Exact product name]	[Vintage or NV]	[Volume]	[Bottle count]	[Reference]	[Saleable stock, sample stock, inbound waiver]	[Why this item]	[Reserved, packed, shipped, returned]
2	[SKU]	[Exact product name]	[Vintage or NV]	[Volume]	[Bottle count]	[Reference]	[Source]	[Why this item]	[Status]

Shipment and closeout

Field	Entry
Picked by and date	[Name and timestamp]
Packed by and date	[Name and timestamp]
Package count	[Number of cartons]
Carrier and service	[Approved service]
Tracking or delivery reference	[Reference]
Carrier alcohol designation	[Recorded selection or service]
Ship date	[Date]
Delivery status and date	[Result]
Receiver	[Name or carrier record]
Exceptions	[Damage, delay, refusal, address issue]
Follow-up owner and due date	[Name and date]
Outcome	[Meeting, listing review, feedback, no response]
Inventory adjustment reference	[ERP or warehouse transaction]
Closeout owner and date	[Name and date]

Use controlled options for status, source, recipient type, and outcome. Free-text notes should explain an exception, not replace the fields that identify the item and transaction.

Match the sheet to the recipient and market

A distributor portfolio review usually needs exact product identity, arrival timing, receiving contact, and a concise purpose note. A field representative may need each bottle assigned to a market activity. A retailer-directed sample requires separate review because the federal retailer provision and state rules may apply. A trade show can involve event approval, venue delivery, pouring authority, and imported-sample handling that do not belong in an ordinary distributor office shipment.

Keep the core record stable, then create a recipient view:

Warehouse view: SKU, vintage, quantity, storage location, lot reference, pick status, and inventory transaction.
Compliance view: recipient type, market, license evidence, legal basis when needed, approval, conditions, and retained records.
Shipping view: approved address, receiving hours, contact, package count, carrier service, alcohol designation, signature instruction, and tracking.
Sales view: producer, wine, vintage, reason for sample, requested follow-up, meeting, and outcome.
Recipient packing list: wines, quantities, sender, recipient, delivery contact, and useful product references without internal costs or approval notes.

Do not create independent spreadsheets for each view. Filter or export them from the approved request so a late bottle substitution reaches the warehouse, shipment, and sales records together.

Verify labels and bottle identity before the pull

A sample sheet should identify the physical bottle, not merely the wine concept. Confirm producer, brand, cuvée, vintage or non-vintage status, bottle volume, importer SKU, label configuration, and market statement against the reserved unit.

Federal mandatory wine label information includes brand name and class or type on the brand label, plus name and address, net contents, and alcohol content on a label affixed to the container under 27 CFR 4.32. The federal health warning must appear separately from other information in the prescribed statement under 27 CFR 16.21. These rules help the compliance owner review the bottle, but a completed sample sheet does not cure a package problem.

If a current bottle is unavailable and someone proposes sending a prior vintage, alternate volume, foreign-market label, mockup, or unlabeled tank sample, stop the normal pull. Reclassify the item and obtain an explicit decision. Never correct the spreadsheet alone while allowing a different physical item to ship.

Attach or link the current wine tech sheet and wine bottle shot when they help the recipient identify and evaluate the sample. Those sales assets should match the bottle in the carton.

Plan shipping as a licensed transaction

Ask the carrier and compliance owner to approve the route before promising delivery. An ordinary parcel workflow is not automatically an alcohol workflow.

FedEx currently states that individuals cannot ship alcohol through its network and that eligible businesses must hold appropriate licenses, enroll in its alcohol shipping program, and enter an alcohol shipping agreement. Its official alcohol shipping policy also distinguishes licensee-to-licensee shipments from consumer shipments, requires approved alcohol-shipment designation, and requires an adult signature for US delivery. These are carrier policies and can change. They do not replace federal, state, or local law.

For every shipment, record the approved shipper account, service, recipient classification, commercial address, receiving window, alcohol designation, signature selection, package count, tracking reference, and exception owner. Keep the packing record with the request. If company staff deliver samples, replace carrier fields with driver, route, handoff, receiver, and proof-of-delivery fields.

Pack from the approved line list. Put a controlled packing list inside the shipment, but omit acquisition cost, internal comments, license documents, and confidential identifiers. After sealing, have a second person compare the carton contents with the final sheet.

Connect inventory, records, and follow-up

A sample is still a physical inventory movement. Reserve it, record the pull, and reconcile damage, return, or non-delivery through the normal inventory process. The sheet should point to the warehouse transaction instead of becoming a shadow inventory ledger.

Federal record duties differ by role. Import records and supporting documents required by Part 27 generally must be retained for at least 3 years after withdrawal from customs custody, with a possible additional period of up to 3 years when required by the appropriate TTB officer under 27 CFR 27.137. Wholesale dealers receiving wine must keep quantities, sources, and receipt dates through invoices, bills, or an optional book record under 27 CFR 31.152, and Part 31 records generally have a retention period of at least 3 years under 27 CFR 31.191. Have the records owner map these duties to the company’s role and retention schedule rather than treating the sample sheet as the only required record.

Closeout should capture the delivery result, sales follow-up, recipient feedback, listing or meeting status, and any next action. Avoid writing subjective judgments about an individual. Keep the note commercial, factual, and useful to the assigned colleague.

Control revisions without losing the shipment history

Use a request ID that survives revisions. Give each approved output a revision ID, timestamp, and owner. Save the exact version used to pick and pack, plus the final version associated with shipment.

When a line changes after approval:

Return the request to an editable status.
Record the requested change and its owner.
Recheck item identity, inventory, recipient, market, compliance, and carrier impact.
Issue a new approved revision.
Replace the warehouse and packing views.
Confirm that the old version is no longer in the active handoff folder.

Do not overwrite delivered requests when adding follow-up. Delivery status and outcome can continue on the same controlled record, while the shipped line list remains preserved. For a repeated request, create a new request linked to the prior one. This keeps separate shipments from sharing a tracking reference or closeout status.

Vintage rollover needs the same discipline. Reopen the vintage, SKU, label, bottle image, tech sheet, quantity, inventory source, and purpose. A filename with the new year does not prove that the reserved bottle changed.

Run final sample-sheet QA

Review the source record, physical bottles, packing list, and shipping entry together:

Depletement is a pre-launch workspace being designed for alcohol importer operations teams to organize current product details, sales assets, distributor asset access, tech sheets, sell sheets, and vintage updates. It does not imply a sample-sheet feature. Whatever system holds this template, connect each request to current product facts and controlled sales assets, then preserve the approved shipment record.