Napa Wineries Win Legal Battle Over Labeling

[Pan]

...[T]he U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) declined to review a state court ruling which upheld a law limiting the use of the exclusive term "Napa" on wine labels...

... At issue is a law passed by California legislators in 2000 to limit the use of the "Napa" label to wines made from at least 75 percent Napa-grown grapes.

Read the rest of the story here.

I could have posted this in Food Media and News, but I think this is such a significant event for the US wine industry. I'd like to see some discussion of my question in the subtitle: Is this the start of terroir certification in the US? Do you think it's likely that other major wine-growing states in the US, such as Oregon, Washington, and eastern Long Island will follow suit with similar laws? Also, now that there is a law limiting the use of the "Napa" designation, what about the "Sonoma" designation? If that wasn't limited by the 2000 law, wouldn't that be the next name for unscrupulous wineries to appropriate? Or do you think that all of this isn't actually very significant at all?

[jrt]

The federal law on this actually has to do with 'truth in advertising' and doesn't allow you to be too unscrupulous -- that is, you have to have at least 75% of your fruit from the place you're advertising. The trick here was that Bronco Wine Company had wines like Napa Ridge, which are grandfathered in federally. The Californians nixed that loophole starting this year.

[Rebel Rose]

The BATF-TTB regulations require that for an appellation to be named on the label, 75% of the fruit in the wine must come from that appellation. So the issue is really about usurping an appellation or sub-appellation for organizational names, which the TTB does not control. Napa Ridge is the forefront example, primarily because of Fred Franzia's aggressive and questionable use of it.

Already, the snit has become personal. Franzia's opponents are making hay from Franzia's 1993 guilty plea to a charge of passing off cheap grapes as a more expensive variety. "Fred's business practices leave a lot to be desired," charges Tom Shelton, president of the upscale Napa winemaker Joseph Phelps Vineyards.

Franzia calls the Napa vintners a "bunch of whiners" living in a "fantasy land." He says that under federal law, he has the right to use whatever grapes he wants as long as their origin is noted somewhere on the label. As for the 1993 indictment, Franzia says it was instigated by rivals irked by his business tactics. "I don't think they dislike me as much as they're jealous of our success," he says.

Wall Street Journal article

Actually, the 1993 misadventure is a lot more shocking than this article indicates. The TTB tracks every ounce of wine produced, from the minute grapes are weighed in and their varietal declared on the weight tag. Franzia covered cheap quality grapes of indeterminate type with a layer of zinfandel before the trucks pulled into the weigh station, and he declared the tonnages as zinfandel. So he was planning this chicanery long before the wine was in the bottle.

I think it's a clarification that's long overdue, actually.

Additional thread on the TTB, or Men in Black.

[Pan]

BATF=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (yeah, I know that's weird as Hell).

But what does TTB stand for?

[Rebel Rose]

The Bush Administration has moved the "alcohol" portion of firearms, explosives and drugs to the Trade and Tax Bureau. It makes more sense financially, but it means we don't get any more heart-thumping visits from menacing men in flak vests or tough-looking well dressed women who flap their badges open with a snap. The TTB guys wear earrings and want to leave LA for Paso Robles. Wussies.

[docsconz]

I think this would be a great thing for the US Fine wine industry, no matter the state.

[richbon]

This whole thing is about wineries with names like "Napa Ridge" where usually no appellation is listed on the bottle, right? John Q. Public sees the label and thinks the grapes are from Rutherford.

I know with food labels, the law says that information on labels must be "truthful and not misleading." I'm a little surprised there's nothing similar for booze.

Edited March 26, 2005 by richbon (log)