Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) International is hosting its 18th annual national conference on wine, beer, and spirits law. “For the past 17 years, this program has brought together the premier in-house counsel, private attorneys, regulators, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, vintners, and others involved in the alcohol beverage industry. This year will…
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…
Yamanashi: The First Japanese Geographical Indication for Wine
On July 16, 2013, the Director General of the Tax Agency of Japan announced the designation of Yamanashi as the first Japanese geographical indication (“GI”) for wine. “To be allowed to carry the name of Yamanashi, wine needs to use only limited kinds of grape from Yamanashi, including Koshu and…
Farmers’ Markets: A New Frontier for Small Wineries in Michigan
One of the biggest challenges for small wineries in the United States is developing a market for their products. Small wineries often have a difficult time getting conventional retail shelf space because they do not produce enough volume or products to make it cost effective for wholesalers to carry their…
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…
Proposed Standard of Identity for Canadian Icewine
On June 15, 2013, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released proposed regulations to create Icewine Regulations (of the Canada Agricultural Products Act) and Consumer Packaging and Labeling Regulations (of the Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act). See New Standard Will Help Open Markets for Canada’s Iconic Icewine. The proposed icewine regulations create “a Standard of Identity for icewine as…
TTB Publishes Final Rule Modifying Mandatory Label Information for Wine
On June 10, 2013, TTB published a final rule in the Federal Register amending the mandatory label information requirements for wine labels. The final rule allows the alcohol by volume (“ABV”) percentage to appear on other labels affixed to a wine container without appearing on the brand label. Previously, the regulations for…
Apologies from On Reserve
On Reserve would like to apologize for a previous guest post submitted on Monday of this last week with reference to the Robert Parker Wine Advocate case. The quote allegedly referenced to Robert Parker and the Antonio Galloni lawsuit was misquoted and mislead our readers; the quote originates from an April…
Professional Opportunities and Jobs in Wine Law
Thinking about a job in wine law? Or just want to learn more about professional opportunities in wine and law? Look no further. On Reserve: A Wine Law Blog generated a list of the top, applicable overlaps of wine and law.