SIP Certified Program Instructions 2024
Timeline
The SIP Certified cycle for vineyard and/or wineries is December 1 through November 30. Documentation should reflect practices from December 1 up until the March 15 to July 15 inspection unless otherwise specified. Certification applies to the vintage within which the Standards' practices were third-party audited.
For example, an applicant who submits completed Standards and documentation for practices occurring December 1, 2022 through November 30, 2023 would be eligible for certification for the 2023 vintage.
Time Required to Complete Standards
The time required to complete SIP Certified Standards documentation varies based on the size and number of properties being certified. On average:
- Cycle 1 (new applicant): 60 – 80 hours
- Cycle 1 (renewal applicant): 20 – 30 hours
- Cycle 2 & 3: 20 – 30 hours
Documentation, Inspection Type, and Points
Cycle 1 - Full:
Complete entire Standards to achieve at least 75% of points plus an onsite inspection.
Requirements are mandatory and are worth 500 points. Failure to meet any one Requirement or provide proper documentation will result in automatically not achieving certification eligibility.
Management Enhancements (ME) are assigned various point values. Applicants must receive a minimum of 50% of the applicable ME points. Some questions have Not Applicable answers. If a Not Applicable answer is selected, that question's point value is subtracted from the total available ME points.
For example, if a Not Applicable answer is selected on a question worth 5 points the total available ME points go from 500 to 495.
Cycle 2 & 3 - Documentation:
Complete all Standards marked with “D” to achieve 100% of points.
Cycle 2 & 3 - Documentation & Onsite/Impromptu:
Complete all Standards marked with “D” and “D+O” to achieve 100% of points plus onsite inspection.
Note
If you are in Cycle 2 or 3 with a Documentation inspection and have not received a Documentation & Onsite OR Impromptu inspection in the past 6 years, you are eligible for an Impromptu inspection.
All documentation for Requirements and Management Enhancements must be present at the time of inspection. Records must be maintained for at least three years.
Adding New Vineyards/Increasing Winery Capacity
For vineyards, acres added to certification that are contiguous to existing certified acres and greater than 20% of the currently certified acres, require a Cycle 1 full inspection.
For wineries, facilities that increase by 50% or more of the currently certified capacity (measured in total gallon capacity of tanks and barrels) require a Cycle 1 full inspection.
Time Required to Complete Inspection
Inspection: $100 – $175/hour - paid directly to inspector.
Estimated Time
- Cycle 1 (new applicant) Full | 8 – 15 hours
- Cycle 1 (renewal applicants) | 4 – 6 hours
- Cycle 2 and 3 Documentation | 1 – 3 hours
- Cycle 2 and 3 Documentation & Onsite / Impromptu | 2 – 4 hours