One of the major functions of the TTB, the federal agency that has primary jurisdiction over alcohol beverages in the U.S., is to collect federal excise taxes on alcohol beverages. As TTB more thoroughly explains on its website, excise tax rate depends on commodity type as well as product. See Tax…
Category: General Wine Law
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”…
Revisiting the Volstead Act: The Power Behind the Eighteenth Amendment for Prohibition
Happy National Repeal Day! In honor of the repeal of the National Prohibition Act on December 5, 1933, we thought it appropriate to re-post an article originally written two years ago on the Volstead Act. See Revisiting the Volstead Act: The Power Behind the Eighteenth Amendment for Prohibition; see also Revisiting the Roads to…
Prêt à Boire: A Mark “Ready to Register” on the USPTO Supplemental Register
On September 30, the United States Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued a decision, In Re Amuse Bouche LLC, for Trademark Application No. 77965809, originally filed March 23, 2010. See In Re Amuse Bouche LLC, Application No. 77965809 (September 30, 2013). Scott Bibb was the Trademark Examining Attorney and the…
Government Shutdown Clogs TTB Label, Formula, and Permit System for Wine Industry
On October 1, 2013, TTB announced a cessation in its operations, citing the lack of government funding as the reasoning. While the TTB website, www.ttb.gov, remains partially accessible, the ability to submit, review, or retrieve Certificate of Label Approvals (“COLAs”), Formula Approvals, or Permits is not permissible. This means that…
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…
Full Ingredients List to Appear on 2011 Ridge Vineyards Wine Label
Ridge Vineyards 2011 wine label will feature a full ingredients list on its wine label. Read more about why, under U.S. law, ingredients are unique on wine labels.
Arizona Passes Law Allowing Wineries and Breweries on Same Premises
A few months ago, On Reserve posted an article about the two sisters in Arizona seeking to open a winery-brewery establishment. As of last week, the Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill into law that allows both a winery and a brewery to operate on the same land. The…
Two Sisters Battle Winery-Brewery Law in Arizona
One of the unique aspects of the alcohol beverage industry is the clear and continual regulatory separation of different facets of the industry. For example, in the United States, laws known as tied house laws heavily regulate any form of vertical integration in the alcohol beverage industry. Generally speaking, tied…
Wine and Law: A Wrap-Up for the Year
Sincerest apologies on my behalf for the lack of updates from On Reserve the last few months. This recent semester has, most certainly, been a busy one for me as I spent the majority of my time attending to my responsibilities as the Executive Articles Editor of the Brooklyn Journal…