New York is home to over four hundred wineries as of March 2014. See New York Wine and Grape Foundation: Wineries by County. While this number may not compete with the amount of wineries currently housed by California, it makes New York home to the greatest number of wineries on the East…
Category: Contemporary Wine Law Issues
Santa Barbara, Bordeaux, and Bourgogne/Chablis Sign the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin
Three renowned wine regions recently signed the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin. By signing the Declaration, the new signatories—the American wine region of Santa Barbara County and the French wine regions of Bordeaux and Bourgogne/Chablis—become part of a global movement to protect wine place names and ensure…
Is China Making a Step Forward in Wine Trademark Law?
One of my recent pieces was published by Cornell International Law Journal Online, which is an incredible online collection of short publications written by attorneys and law students discussing contemporary legal issues in various fields. I wrote about China with respect to trademark and the wine industry. Specifically, I discussed…
Champagne House Veuve Clicquot Sues Italian Sparkling Wine Producer Over Label
Update January 23, 2014: The Drinks Business reported today that Veuve Clicquot denied filing suit against Ciro Picariello and instead contends that the Champagne company contacted the Italian sparkling wine producer to note the “similarity” of the labels and see if there is any way Ciro Picariello’s label could “evolve”…
Napa Valley Duckhorn Wine Co. Sues Duck Commander Wine, Alleging Trademark Infringement
A few months ago, On Reserve reported about Napa Valley’s Duckhorn Wine Co. and its suit against Long Island-based Duck Walk Vineyards. See Duckhorn Wine Co. Files a Complaint Against Duck Walk Vineyards Alleging Consumer Confusion on Wine Labels. We were a bit skeptical as to the argument for consumer confusion for…
Eighth Circuit Affirms Decision Against Southern Wine & Spirits Allowing Discrimination Against Out-of-State Wholesalers
In September, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided a case with respect to wholesale licensing in the state of Missouri. Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. (“SWSA”), the plaintiff-appellant, appealed from a lower court decision. The plaintiff-appellant, a foreign alcohol wholesaler, applied for a license to…
Revisited: Granholm v. Heald and the Wine Industry
This blog entry was originally posted on August 7, 2010, five years after the Supreme Court decided a major case impacting the wine industry. The decision Granholm v. Heald remains important to the wine industry and provides great context for the types of legal issues the American wine industry faces on a…
From Water to Wine (Trademark): Joel Gott Wines v. Rehoboth Von Gott
On June 26, 2013, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) found a likelihood of confusion between the marks JOEL GOTT and GOTT LIGHT. Rehoboth Von Gott, Inc. filed an application with USPTO to register the mark GOTT LIGHT for nutritionally fortified water…
Argiano, Italian Wine Producer, Acquitted in Brunello di Montalcino Trial
During my last semester of college, I was fortunate to take a restaurant management class that acquainted me with a completely new area of law. My professor assigned an article from The New York Times about the alleged fraudulent production of Brunello di Montalcino using grapes other than the Sangiovese varietal. (Read…
On Reserve Named Finalist in 2013 Wine Blog Awards
I am incredibly honored to announce that On Reserve is a finalist for the 2013 Wine Blog Awards in the category “Best Single Subject Wine Blog.” Although I started my blog almost three years ago, this is the first year that On Reserve was nominated for an award and named…