On January 21, 2016, TTB published a notice in the Federal Register proposing the establishment of the Willcox Viticultural Area, which is located in portions of Graham and Cochise Counties in Arizona (but is not currently located within, nor does it contain, any other established American Viticultural Area). The proposed Viticultural Area contains 526,000 acres in southeast Arizona and currently includes about 21 commercial vineyards (which cover about 454 acres, with an additional 650 acres to be planned in the upcoming year) and 18 bonded wineries. According to the notice published by TTB, comments are accepted through March 21, 2016. The petition was filed by Paul S. Hagar, the special projects manager of Dragoon Mountain Vineyard, on behalf of Dragoon Mountain Vineyard and other vineyards and wineries.
The petition alleges the following:
- Name Evidence: The Wilcox AVA derives its name from the city of Wilcox, which is said to contain the Willcox Playa, the dry bed of an ancient lake. The petitioner submitted evidence that 26 businesses and organizations within the city use the city name “Wilcox” in some portion of their own names, inclusive of an organization called Willcox Wine Country (established to, nonetheless, promote the local wine industry).
- Boundary Evidence: The proposed AVA is described as having a high altitude valley that resembles a shallow basin, which is separated by neighboring valleys by mountain ranges. Further descriptors in the notice go on to describe more specific boundaries.
- Distinguishing Features: Distinguishing features are said to include the AVA’s geology, topography, soils, and climate. While the notice goes into further (and much more interesting details) about the proposed AVA’s distinguishing features, petitioner has pointed out that a noteworthy quality of the proposed AVA is that the area’s viticulture is impacted by its geologic history.
On January 21st, TTB also published a final rule establishing a new AVA: The Los Olivos District Viticultural Area. The final rule establishes this new AVA in Santa Barbara County, California and is located within the Santa Ynez Valley viticultural area and the larger, multicounty Central Coast
viticultural area. The final rule goes into effect on February 22, 2016.
For more information on wine or alcohol law, AVAs, or TTB matters, please contact Lindsey Zahn.
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is for general information purposes only, is not intended to constitute legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship results. Please consult your own attorney for legal advice.