Proposed Establishment of the “Champlain Valley of New York” Viticultural Area

TTB is accepting comments through August 31, 2015 on a proposed American Viticultural Area (“AVA”) called “Champlain Valley of New York,” as per a proposed rule in the Federal Register on June 30, 2015. The proposed AVA is as follows:

• The petition proposing the new AVA was sent to TTB by Colin Read, owner of North Star Vineyard, on behalf of the Lake Champlain Grape Growers Association. The proposed AVA of Champlain Valley of New York is “a long, narrow valley on the western shore of Lake Champlain and is approximately 82 miles long and approximately 20 miles wide at its widest point” and incorporates about 500 square miles, six bonded wineries, and eleven commercial vineyards and covers a total of 15.47 acres. Docket No. TTB-2015-0010-0001.
• The petition noted that the AVA’s distinguishing features are its short growing season (“conducive for growing cold-hardy North American hybrid varieties of grapes . . . but not Vitis vinifera“) and included data, indicating a later-last frost date and an earlier first-frost date, to support such claim. Id. However, as highlighted by TTB, the petition did not include a discussion on the viticultural significance of the proposed AVA’s precipitation, topography, soils, etc., thus TTB does not consider such features to be distinguishing features of the proposed AVA. 
• The name “Champlain Valley of New York” comes from Lake Champlain, which is found on the border of upstate New York as well as Vermont and parts of Quebec. TTB noted that because “Champlain Valley” applies to both Vermont and Canada, the proposed AVA name of “Champlain Valley of New York” is more accurate for this particular region. Indeed, several prior label approvals for wines indicate that some wineries in both New York State and Vermont use “Champlain Valley” or “Lake Champlain Valley” to describe the origin of their grapes. See, e.g., La Garagista Red Table Wine and Vesco Ridge Vineyards White Table Wine. (In the proposed rule, TTB notes that “Champlain Valley” by itself should not have viticultural significance, thus specifying only the full name “Champlain Valley of New York” would be recognized as viticulturally significant.)

To read TTB’s press release, see Proposed Establishment of the “Champlain Valley of New York” Viticultural Area.

For more information on wine or alcohol law, AVAs, or TTB matters, please contact Lindsey Zahn.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is for general information purposes only, is not intended to constitute legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship results. Please consult your own attorney for legal advice.