Treasury Bureau Eases Labeling Requirements for Imported Wine
Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau adopted as a final rule a proposal to amend the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau wine labeling regulations to allow a vintage date to appear on a wine that is labeled with a country as an appellation of origin. It said in the Federal Register notice scheduled for Sept. 14 that the amendment will provide more grape sourcing and wine labeling flexibility to domestic and foreign winemakers, while ensuring that consumers get adequate information about the identity and quality of the wines they buy.
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The current rules say that for American or imported wines labeled with a viticultural area appellation of origin (or its foreign equivalent), at least 95 percent of the wine must have been derived from grapes harvested in the labeled calendar year. For American or imported wines labeled with an appellation of origin other than a country or viticultural area, at least 85 percent of the wine must have been derived from grapes harvested in the labeled calendar year. On November 4, 2011, TTB published Notice No. 122 in the Federal Register proposing to amend § 4.27 to allow vintage labeling for wines labeled with a country as an appellation of origin. TTB received 26 comments in response to the notice, with 22 in favor of the proposal, and 3 opposing it. TTB decided to adopt without change the proposed regulatory amendments contained in Notice No. 122.
The rule is effective Nov. 13. Further information: Jennifer Berry, 2024531039, ext. 275.