In May 2012, Kansas approved a law that dramatically changed the regulation of its wine industry. The new state law, which spawned from House Bill 2689, reduces the requirement of the amount of Kansas grapes that must be in a Kansas wine. The bill amends K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 41-308a. Under…
Category: Contemporary Wine Law Issues
Indian Wine and Wine Legislation: A Future Development?
A few months ago, I came across an article posted by the Indian Wine Academy that I thought to be particularly interesting. The article, The Growing Need for Wine Laws in India, attracted me because I so rarely come across research on India and wine law. In fact, I can…
Vineyard Data Quantification Society Conference in Portugal
The 19th annual Vineyard Data Quantification Society Conference will take place from May 30, 2012 to June 2, 2012, in Coimbra and Viseu, Portugal. This meeting is organized by the Vineyard Data Quantification Society (“VDQS”). This year, we are pleased to host a special session with a special topic on…
New EU Regulation for Organic Wine
The Standing Committee on Organic Farming (“SCOF”) agreed yesterday, February 8, 2012 to new EU rules governing the production of organic wines for the 2012 harvest season. (See New EU Regulation Agreed for 2012 Harvest of Organic Wine.) These rules will be published in the Official Journal in the upcoming weeks. This…
Australia Corks its Use of the Term Champagne as of September 1st
A strong congratulations is in store for Australia (and France), whose laws—as of today, September 1st—no longer permit the labeling of “Champagne” for any sparkling wine produced in Australia’s wine regions. (For more information, see France Takes Back ‘Champagne’ Label From Aussie Winegrowers; see also Protection of Champagne Name Increasing…
Third Party Providers and the Future of Wine Laws in America
This summer I had the absolute pleasure of working with the legal and regulatory compliance department of Lot18, a dynamic and rising flash sale site for premium wines and epicurean products. Lot18 is a budding company stationed in New York City and embraces an enthusiastic—and highly admirable—dedication to customer service…
A Case for Vin Jaune: The Golden Wine of “Seemingly Immortal” Character
Last month, at the wine law event hosted by UC Davis, the 2006 U.S.-EC Wine Agreement represented the nexus of the symposium. As a follow-up post to the conference, allow me to review the “objectives” of the Agreement: to further emphasize the need for greater camaraderie between the United States…
San Diego Superior Court Rules in Favor of Tiered Winery Ordinance
Special thanks to Dennis from Eagles Nest Winery in San Diego, California for pointing out this new update with respect to a suit filed by San Diego Citizenry Group challenging the San Diego County Tiered Winery Ordinance under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (See prior On Reserve entry Group…
Canada Fights Outdated Prohibition-Era Wine Law
Canada is a country that struggles with outdated Prohibition-era wine laws, quite similar to those of the United States. As opposed to encountering restrictive laws with respect to interstate shipments, Canada grapples with laws from its own Prohibition time period that limit the importation of wine across the boundaries of…
Costco Wholesale Corp v. Hoen and Federal Antitrust Law
The SCOTUS Granholm decision of 2005 is far-reaching with respect to subsequent issues entailing the three-tier distribution system. Many states allowed wineries to self-distribute their wines directly to retailers and bypass the wholesaler intermediary. This was the issue in Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Hoen, a case decided by the United…