Some very exciting wine law news emerged this week, including two stories that top the headlines of many leading publications. In the state of Massachusetts comes a story about direct shipment and a public figure. On the opposite end of the legal spectrum, we have a pending lawsuit brought by…
Revisiting the Roads to Prohibition: The Maine Laws
One of the most interesting time periods in the American history of alcohol beverage regulation is Prohibition; but the road to Prohibition was not paved overnight. Perhaps the most significant time period is the years prior to the national prohibition on the sale, transportation or manufacture of alcohol beverages within the…
A Regulatory Analysis: Nutrition Fact Panels and Ingredient Statements on Alcohol Beverages
Why do some wines have nutrition fact panels and some wines do not? What are the differences between FDA and TTB labeling for wines? Low volume alcohol wine label requirements.
Alcohol Beverage Law Conference in Denver, Colorado on March 18, 2013 (CLE International)
CLE International is hosting an Alcohol Beverage Law Conference in Denver on March 18, 2013 at the Four Seasons Hotel. The conference is co-chaired by Adam P. Stapen and Patrick D. Tooley and will cover Colorado wine, beer, and spirits. The conference will present topics such as Navigating the Agencies,…
Wine Law Updates: Restaurants Sue Wine Storage Facility, Revealing Seller’s Name at Auction, and Calorie Labeling for Wine in the UK
Some very interesting updates over the last week have occurred for the wine and law community. Below are three of the most interesting, involving a wine storage facility, potential new rules at auction, and calorie labels in the United Kingdom. East Coast Restaurants Sue WineCare Storage Facility for $2 Million…
Duckhorn Wine Co. Files a Complaint Against Duck Walk Vineyards Alleging Consumer Confusion on Wine Labels
I read the article outlining the complaint filed by Duckhorn Wine Co. of St. Helena against Duck Walk Vineyards, and I feel particularly compelled to blog about the complaint by means of both legal interest and personal significance. (I spent some of my childhood summers on the eastern end of…
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…
Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Litigation in the Context of Wine and the Law
The last week presented three very different stories in the context of wine the law, ranging from criminal law to constitutional law issues. The most pertinent are summarized below. On the wine law docket for the week of January 14, 2013: Chateaux Commence Legal Action Against St. Emilion Classification: This…
A Different Type of Wine Shipping Case: Great Northern Insurance v. Cellar Advisors
Some interesting news from the last week in the context of wine. On the docket for this week: Transport Company Sued for Over $2 Million Wine Shipment: Owners of a private wine collection, valued at over $2 million, being shipped across the United States sued Cellar Advisors, LLC. The…
Osawa Wines Wins Labeling Dispute Against Chateau Mouton Rothschild Estate for Flying Mouton Label
Recently, Osawa Wines won a labeling dispute against Chateau Mouton Rothschild Estate. The disagreement, which spawned over the use of the wine label Flying Mouton, originated in 2008 when Osawa started producing a new alcohol beverage product with a Flying Mouton wine label. Shortly thereafter, Chateau Mouton Rothschild estate filed…