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NAPA VALLEY VINTNERS EXPLORES PROPOSAL ON GEOGRAPHIC BRAND NAME ISSUE
5/6/1999 - The Napa Valley Vintners Board of Directors has forwarded a proposal to its members targeted at further protecting and enhancing the integrity of the Napa Valley Appellation.
The proposal is the result of a year's discussion and study by the Association's Winegrowers Appellation Committee, chaired by Jack Stuart, general manager and winemaker at Silverado Vineyards.
The proposal now before the Association's 155 members offers a two-pronged approach:
· Draft language calls for state legislation that would require any wine sold in California using a geographic brand name or bottling name that refers to Napa Valley, or any appellation wholly contained within the Napa Valley, to disclose the percentage of grapes from the Napa Valley. (The requirement would not apply to wines that already meet the appellation of origin requirements.)
For example, if a winery produced a wine legally labeled with the brand name "Napa Valley Caves" or with a bottling name ("bottled by Napa Valley Caves") but did not contain enough grapes to qualify as a "Napa Valley Appellation" wine, then the label would have to state clearly what percentage of grapes were from the Napa Valley. The label would also still have to disclose the true appellation of origin.
· A special certification mark, or "seal of authenticity," for those wines produced and bottled in Napa Valley with 100 percent of the grapes from the appellation.
The geographic brand name issue proposal is under review by Association members through May 15. Following member input the NVV board will draft a final version of the proposed legislation, and move forward in the development of the certification mark.
The Napa Valley Vintners is a professional non-profit trade organization representing 155 Napa Valley wineries in marketing and promotional activities throughout the United States and abroad. NVV maintains a website at www.napavintners.com
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