Members of the Wine Origins Alliance, a loose collection of wine regions worldwide, met with U.S. legislators in March to express their desire for strong laws regarding “accurate and clear” wine labeling. The group was founded in Napa in 2005 and now has 23 members throughout the globe. The alliance is pushing for strict location-based wine labeling for consumers to be able to correctly identify the origin of the grapes as labeled. Currently in the U.S. recognized wine regions, known as Viticulture Areas or AVAs, are protected by rules requiring that if a wine is labeled with the region’s name then 85 percent of the wine must be made from grapes grown in that AVA. Outside of the United States no such protection currently exists.
Source: Napa valley register, April 2018