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…
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,…
Are You Writing a Note or Conducting Research on Wine Law?
The fall season is easily characterized by what is a sizable, but highly rewarding, project for many students in their second year of law school: the note writing process for law school journals. And while concerns dwindle from, “What topic should I choose?” to “Is my thesis strong enough” to…
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…
Wine Law Seminar in Texas October 20th & 21st and a Special ‘On Reserve’ Discount
Law Seminars International presents the Third Annual Comprehensive Conference on Texas Wine Law, to be hosted in Austin, Texas this October 20th and 21st at the Hilton Austin Hotel. It is recommended that “[a]ttorneys, vineyard operators, grape growers, wine producers and distributors, government regulators involved with the production and distribution…
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…
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…