Wine industry divided over proposed bottle labeling rule
Though wineries throughout the U.S. regularly source wine grapes grown in Napa Valley, the right for winemakers to call their finished product “Napa Valley” wine may soon extend only to the California state line.
A proposed rule amending the current federal regulation is poised to limit the use of American Viticultural Area (AVA) names, such as “Napa Valley”, in the labeling of wine produced in a state other than the one containing the AVA from which the grapes are sourced.
Using what some have called a ‘loophole’ in the regulation, wineries countrywide can currently apply for an exemption that allows them to source grapes from out of state vineyards and use the name of the grapes’ AVA, so long as the finished wine is sold only in the state where it is produced.
The potential rule has been divisive, with supporters positing that the ‘loophole’s closure protects consumers and upholds the integrity of the decades-old AVA system, while critics argue that it disadvantages customers by striking relevant information from labels on bottles of wine produced in states other than those where the grapes were grown.
Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/wine-industry-divided-over-proposed-bottle-labeling-rule/article_ccb83947-d733-57a7-ba05-81423494589a.html
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