Recently, Osawa Wines won a labeling dispute against Chateau Mouton Rothschild Estate. The disagreement, which spawned over the use of the wine label Flying Mouton, originated in 2008 when Osawa started producing a new alcohol beverage product with a Flying Mouton wine label. Shortly thereafter, Chateau Mouton Rothschild estate filed…
Author: Lindsey A. Zahn
Lindsey is the founder and author of On Reserve: A Wine Law Blog. She is an attorney and the Managing Partner of the alcohol beverage and food law firm Lindsey Zahn P.C. Lindsey is admitted to the New York State Bar.
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Dismisses Koch Wine Suit on Statute of Limitations
Last year, On Reserve posted an article about the suit brought by Koch against Christie’s in a New York federal district court. New York District Court Judge, Honorable Barbara Jones, granted the motion to dismiss of the auction house Christie’s and dismissed the suit against the acclaimed auction house. In…
Napa Valley Receives Geographical Indication Status in Brazil
Recently, Napa Valley Vintners Association (“NVVA”) announced that Brazil has formerly recognized that Napa Valley is of Geographical Indication (“GI”) status. Brazil will now protect Napa Valley from misuse of the wine region’s name within Brazil’s borders. (See Napa Valley Vintners Announce GI Status Approval in Brazil.) The news was announced…
A Liberalization of Kansas Wine Law: Reduced Requirement for Grapes Grown in Kansas
In May 2012, Kansas approved a law that dramatically changed the regulation of its wine industry. The new state law, which spawned from House Bill 2689, reduces the requirement of the amount of Kansas grapes that must be in a Kansas wine. The bill amends K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 41-308a. Under…
Wine Law and Health Regulations: A Call for “Easily Digestible”
The Wall Street Journal law blog recently published an interesting article titled, EU Court: Don’t Call Wine “Easily Digestible,” discussing a court case decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”). At issue was whether the German winemakers’ cooperative, Deutsches Weintor, can label its wines with a claim that the wine…
What Changes are Allowed on an Approved Wine Label Without Obtaining a New Certificate of Label Approval (COLA)?
The TTB recently posted some very helpful guidelines pertaining to approved wine labels and changing approved wine labels without obtaining additional approval from the TTB. For a wine to be sold legally in the United States, the label must be pre-approved by the TTB through a process called Certificate of…
Summer Updates in the Wine Law Field
As summer passes by, there are several noteworthy updates with respect to wine law. These updates cover upcoming and prior events, relating mostly to the academic side of wine and its intersection with the law. It is wonderful to see the variety of events and the opportunities to learn and…
The Wine Law Pathway Post-Law School Graduation
I so rarely write personal updates for On Reserve, but in light of recent developments, I am eager to share my current accomplishments and future pathway with all of you. I often receive e-mails from other students asking me for advice with respect to following a career in wine and…
Indian Wine and Wine Legislation: A Future Development?
A few months ago, I came across an article posted by the Indian Wine Academy that I thought to be particularly interesting. The article, The Growing Need for Wine Laws in India, attracted me because I so rarely come across research on India and wine law. In fact, I can…
TTB Proposes the Establishment of the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Viticultural Area
What is the proposal for establishing the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley AVA? On May 8, 2012, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) announced a proposal for establishing an American Viticultural Area (“AVA”) for the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley in Douglas, Grant, and Kittitas Counties in central Washington. The notice…