Recently, I read an interesting article discussing the use of the term ‘Grand Cru’ by a United States winemaker. (See Much Ado About a Wine Marketing Designation.) The story reflects the use of the term ‘Grand Cru’ by Sea Smoke Cellars of Santa Barbara, California. After receiving a review in…
Category: International Wine Law
Russian Wine Producers Will Stop Using the Term ‘Champagne’ on Wine Products
Some very exciting news reached On Reserve this morning, thanks to Sean Buckley of Texas Tech University School of Law. With the recent execution of the bilateral trade agreement between Australia and the EU on the first of September, this news comes to us with great understanding. This last week,…
Demand Truth in Labeling: Port and Douro Valley Wines
I recently returned from an incredible trip to the Douro Valley and Oporto, Portugal, courtesy of the Center for Wine Origins and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (“IVDP”). This trip presented to me the opportunity to explore the region, to learn about both Port and Douro…
Upcoming Trip to Porto, Portugal and the Legal Protections of Port Wine
An epic adventure awaits me this upcoming week as I travel to Porto, Portugal, courtesy of Center for Wine Origins of Washington, D.C., to learn about the legal protections Portugal is pursuing to protect its highly-esteemed wine called Port. Port wine, under the federal law of the United States, is…
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…
Australia Completes Final Step in Protecting Wine Place Names
Reprinted with the permission of Kate Connors of the Center for Wine Origins and the Champagne Bureau, United States. In just three weeks, Australia will become the latest country to join the global movement toward robust truth-in-labeling laws that protect consumers by requiring that wine growing place names are reserved…
Domitian’s Vine Edict: The Story of the First Wine Law
Wine Law. Is it of contemporary origin? Or does it have a past as complex as its present? Does it predate written history? Is there a story behind this unique field of law? Indeed, there is—and it is one that is just as distinctive as its present-day overtones. The research…
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…
A Note on the Legal Categories of Wine in France
With an exciting academic experience in France just around the corner, I thought an entry discussing the legal categories of wine in France to be appropriate. France’s policing of wine is interesting, as the country is one of the most stringent regulators with respect to the names of wines and…
Canadian Radio Host Terry David Mulligan Protests Outdated Prohibition-Era Wine Laws
To protest what he believes to be an outdated, Prohibition-era law, radio host Terry David Mulligan “carried a wooden case containing nine bottles of wine and one bottle of Penticton beer across the Alberta-B.C. border at noon on Friday.” (See Radio Host Mulligan Protest Provincial Liquor Laws.) Despite planning his illegal…