Movement to Protect Wine Label Accuracy Gains Momentum
The movement to protect wine label accuracy in the United States is gaining momentum, and the powerful California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is throwing its weight behind the issue.
President Karen Ross recently indicated that the CAWG is planning to petition the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to change loopholes in the law which let producers include foreign grapes in wine that is labeled “American.”
Ross argues that increasing U.S. demand for wine coupled with liberal import laws on the Federal level have, “…led to the most bothersome trend in global wine sourcing – the blending of California wine with imported wine for ‘American’ appellation products.”
Complicating matters even further is the fact that California has a grape glut of its own. The past few years have seen enormous harvests, and many grape growers have their hands full with in-state competitors let alone worrying about cheap grapes from other countries.
I’m certainly a proponent of free trade, but I do have a problem misleading wine labels. If it makes economic sense to import grapes and wine from oversees, then so be it, but these products should be labeled accordingly. Maybe a line that reads, “grown/produced in x country but bottled in California,” would suffice.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, December 19 2006
brooklynguy said:
we have an opportunity here in the US to improve upon the French system, while still keeping some of the good aspects of the French system. Labels should reveal information to consumers that helps them make purchasing decisions. i want to know what vineyards the grapes come from, and what vintage..etc, before paying my hard earned money. if there is a glut then they can declassify wines, and print that too.
Posted 1172 days ago.