New Labeling Law For Sonoma County Wine

As an international shout-out for Sonoma County's outstanding regional wines, California State Legislature has unanimously approved legislation authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) to implement a connective labeling law for wines labeled with the many varied winegrowing areas of the county.

By improving consumer education on each bottle, 'conjunctive' labeling is expected to unleash the full potential of the county's world-class wines to represent Sonoma around the globe.

Sponsored by the Sonoma County Vintners and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, AB 1798 requires that any wine labeled with an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located entirely within Sonoma County (such as Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast or Dry Creek Valley) must also include the word “Sonoma County” on the label, starting in 2014. 

There are currently 13 AVAs in Sonoma County.  The bill is the product of a ten-month process of collaboration among the wine industry association and the vintners and winegrape growers of every AVA of Sonoma County, marking the beginning of a stronger Sonoma County brand.

“In this increasingly competitive wine market, building awareness for Sonoma County and the wine regions within the county is critical to Sonoma County grape growers and the wineries they supply,” said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.  “AB 1798 will ensure that consumers recognize every bottle of wine produced from Sonoma County grapes.”
 
Since 1989 Legislature has approved conjunctive labeling laws for three other California winemaking regions – Napa Valley, Lodi, and Paso Robles.
 

Comments

[love grapes]

It was a 74-0 vote by the assembly. It looks like Sonoma is catching up to its neighbors in this regard