Restaurant Accounting | Anne Napolitano Consulting

Winery Accounting and Consulting Services

From harvest through the tasting room, running a winery means managing a business with a longer horizon and more financial complexity than almost any other food and beverage operation. At Anne Napolitano Consulting, we’re seasoned accountants who specialize in the craft beverage industry — and we handle the financial details that come with it so you can stay focused on what you’ve built.

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We know what keeps winery owners up at night

Wine is a long game. And the financial complexities that come with it — from multi-year inventory cycles to multi-channel revenue — require more than a generalist accountant who learns your business as they go.

Inventory that ages for years before it generates revenue
Unlike most businesses, a significant portion of your assets is sitting in barrels or bottles, appreciating in value but not yet on anyone’s table. Properly valuing aging inventory, tracking its cost over time, and reflecting it accurately on your balance sheet is technically demanding work — and getting it wrong has real consequences for your financial picture.

Harvest season creates a cash flow crunch every year
The cost of a harvest hits your books long before the wine it produces is sold. That gap between production expense and revenue recognition is one of the most consistent financial pressure points winery owners face, and navigating it requires forward-looking cash flow planning — not just a look at last month’s numbers.

DTC, wholesale, and tasting room don’t belong in the same bucket
Selling wine directly to consumers, through a distributor, and out of a tasting room each carries different margins, different compliance obligations, and different financial reporting requirements. When those revenue streams aren’t tracked and reported separately, you lose the visibility you need to understand where your business is actually making money.

State ABC regulations and TTB compliance add real complexity
Winery compliance is a layer that doesn’t exist in most industries — and the financial implications of mishandling it can be significant. From federal TTB reporting to state-by-state ABC regulations that vary with every new market you enter, staying compliant requires accountants who have navigated this terrain before.

Seasonal revenue swings that are hard to plan around
A strong harvest weekend or a slow winter can look dramatic on a monthly P&L without the context to interpret it correctly. Financial planning for a winery has to account for the natural rhythm of the business — and that requires accountants who understand what healthy winery financials look like across a full year, not just a single month.

Winery finances aren't a job for a generalist

A general accountant can keep your books and file your taxes. But wineries operate on a financial model that’s genuinely unlike most small businesses — long production cycles, complex inventory valuation, multi-channel revenue with different margin profiles, and a compliance landscape that spans federal and state requirements simultaneously.

Most general accountants will figure your business out over time. But “figuring it out” costs you in the meantime — in inaccurate reporting, missed planning opportunities, and financial blind spots that only become visible when something goes wrong.

We work exclusively in food and beverage. We know how to structure winery financials from the ground up, what benchmarks to measure your performance against, and how to build reporting that reflects the real economics of your operation — not just a standard P&L that was designed for a completely different kind of business.

Accounting Services

Books that reflect the real economics of your winery.

Accurate winery accounting starts with the right structure — a chart of accounts built for wine production, inventory tracking that properly captures aging costs, revenue reporting that separates your channels, and monthly closes that happen on time. Our all-accountant team handles your accounting so your financials are always clean, current, and built to support real decisions. No more end-of-year scrambles. No more wondering whether your numbers are telling you the full story.

Learn more about our Accounting Services →

Controller Services

Financial oversight that keeps pace with your growth.

As your winery grows — whether that means expanding your tasting room, entering new distribution markets, or adding production capacity — your financial infrastructure needs to grow with it. Our controller services provide the oversight that makes that possible: accurate reporting, internal controls, compliance management, and the financial foundation that more complex operations demand. We own your financial infrastructure so you can own your business.

Financial Planning and Analysis

Plan for the long game your winery is already playing.

Winery owners think in years, not just months — and your financial planning should too. Our FP&A services bring forward-looking tools to your operation: harvest season cash flow forecasting, annual budgets that account for production cycles and seasonal revenue patterns, scenario modeling for expansion decisions, and pricing analysis that keeps your margins healthy as input costs change. When a significant decision is in front of you, we make sure you have the numbers to make it confidently.

Learn more about our Financial Planning and Analysis Services →

What makes Anne Napolitano Consulting different

We speak your language — because we’ve lived it
When your accountant truly understands your industry, everything changes. Conversations are faster, advice is sharper, and nothing gets lost in translation. ANC was founded by Anne Napolitano, a former chef turned accountant who has spent her career at the intersection of food service and financial expertise. We already know the long production cycles of wine, the cash flow realities of harvest season, and the complexity of managing DTC, wholesale, and tasting room revenue simultaneously. When you work with ANC, you’re not paying for us to learn your industry. You’re paying for everything we already know — and that knowledge pays for itself.

We stay ahead of your numbers — not behind them
Good accounting isn’t just about recording the past. It’s about protecting your future. At ANC, we proactively monitor your numbers, flag potential issues early, and keep you informed so nothing catches you off guard — whether that’s a harvest season cash crunch on the horizon or a margin shift across your sales channels that needs attention before it becomes a problem.

You get a dedicated team — not a solo act
Every ANC client is supported by a dedicated three-person team that knows your business, knows your numbers, and is always available. No single point of failure. No being left stranded when someone goes on vacation. Just consistent, reliable support from people who understand your production calendar and are genuinely invested in your winery’s success.

A seasoned advisor in your corner — for the long haul
At many firms, the partner who sold you the engagement disappears after onboarding. At ANC, senior-level advisory isn’t reserved for your biggest questions. Anne oversees every client relationship, providing the strategic guidance and expertise that keeps your business on track. When you work with ANC, you have an experienced advisor available for the decisions that matter — from pricing strategy to expansion planning.

An experienced firm with proven systems
ANC has been operating for over ten years with a dedicated team, proven processes, and a purpose-built technology stack. We’ve built our firm to be exactly what food and beverage businesses need: personal enough to know your business inside and out, and structured enough to deliver consistent, reliable results every single time. Your books are closed on time. Your numbers are accurate. And as your winery grows, we’re ready to grow with you.

Frequently asked questions about winery accounting

How do you value aging wine inventory on the balance sheet?

Aging inventory is one of the most technically nuanced aspects of winery accounting. Wine in barrel or in bottle needs to be tracked at cost — including the accumulated cost of production, storage, and any additional inputs over time — and reflected accurately on your balance sheet as it moves through the aging process. Getting this right matters both for the accuracy of your financials and for the decisions you make based on them.

Can you handle accounting across our DTC, wholesale, and tasting room channels?

Yes — and separating those channels clearly in your reporting is one of the most valuable things we do for winery clients. Each channel has a different margin profile and different compliance considerations, and understanding how each one is actually performing is essential to making good decisions about where to invest your energy and resources.

How do you help wineries manage harvest season cash flow?

Harvest is the most financially intensive period of the year for most wineries, and it comes before the revenue from that harvest is realized. We build cash flow forecasts that account for your production calendar so that the harvest season crunch is something you plan for, not something that catches you off guard. That kind of forward-looking planning is one of the clearest ways financial expertise pays for itself.

Do you handle TTB reporting and state ABC compliance?

Compliance is part of the financial landscape for every winery we work with, and we structure your accounting to support it from the start.

What's the difference between an accountant and a controller for a winery?

Accounting keeps your books accurate and current — it’s the foundation. A controller goes further: overseeing your financial reporting, establishing internal controls, managing compliance, and ensuring that your financial infrastructure is solid enough to support the complexity of your operation. Many wineries start with accounting services and add controller oversight as they grow. We can talk through what makes sense for where you are right now in a free consultation.

We have both a production facility and a tasting room — can you handle the accounting for both?

Absolutely. Managing the financial relationship between your production operation and your retail tasting room — including cost allocation, inventory movement, and revenue reporting — is exactly the kind of complexity we’re built for. Having one accounting team that understands both sides of your business is far more effective than splitting that responsibility.

Ready to bring the same care to your finances that you bring to your wine?

You’ve put years into building something worth drinking. Your financials should reflect that investment — clearly, accurately, and in a way that helps you make the decisions that move your winery forward. Let’s talk about what that looks like.