Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/131907
JUNE NEWS Censored Wine Words on Hold European negotiations stalled since 2009 S an Rafael, Calif.—Wineries in the U.S. still don't know whether words on their labels—including their names—will eventually be accepted on wines they might export to Europe. Since a 2006 trade agreement between the United States and the European Union expired in 2009, a list of terms has been under A handful of common words are used often in winery names. Among them: Oak, Ridge, River, Valley, Canyon, Mountain, View, Family, Estate and Farm. What's in a Winery Name? Experts: Settle on brand image before naming S an Rafael, Calif.—"You want to have a simple, memorable name that is not too difficult to pronounce or spell," said Dr. Liz Thach, wine business professor at Sonoma State University. "If you have a lot of foreign customers, make sure your name doesn't have a different meaning in other languages. A lot of people winesandvines.com use their last name, but if it's too common, that can be dangerous Learn more: Search keywords unless you can differentiate yourself," said Thach, whose own name "Winery name." is pronounced not "thatch," but "Toch" (rhymes with Mayor Koch). Thach addressed winery naming after a discussion among Wines & Vines colleagues who had looked up an iconic California winery in WinesVinesDATA only to discover a plethora of wine brands using similar names. It turns out that the famous Ridge Vineyards of Cupertino, Calif., shares part of its identity with 199 wine brands in North America. It's unlikely that many consumers would confuse the classic Cabernet Sauvignon producer with 250,000-case Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, Calif. Nor would buyers likely mistake Oak Ridge's Royal Ridge Silk Oak brand with Silver Oak, producer of popular and pricey Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa's Oakville AVA and in Sonoma's Alexander Valley. Currently, 114 North American producers use "Oak" as part of their names. Ridges and oaks are dominant elements of many wine country landscapes. Naming a business is a serious business—part sentiment, part art, part science—and can have serious economic ramifications. Marketing maven Dixie Huey, proprietor of Trellis Growth Partners LLC, has helped to name and brand many wineries in the Pacific Northwest. Frequently, clients come to her with a name in mind. This is not the sequence she recommends. "There's more of a process to selecting a name. First, can it be trademarked? If you have a name, you need to get it trademarked, or go back to square one." In starting or rebranding a winery, Huey suggested, do not start with a name. First, make a business plan: Define your vision, who your customers will be and how you will be selling your wines. Understand your business model and do not do any design work until you have a trademarked name. "It happens all the time," Huey said. "People come up with a name and a design, and then the name cannot be trademarked." That's an expensive and time-consuming mistake. "You must decide what the business is going to be, otherwise, you're spinning your wheels. Let the process guide you. Go for the trademark, then for the packaging and identity." —Jane Firstenfeld 18 W in e s & V i ne s J U NE 2 0 13 negotiation. Since then, almost nothing has been resolved. From the original list of contested terms, only "classic" and "cream" have been approved for U.S. exports to the European Union, according to Gladys Horiuchi at the San Francisco, Calif.-based Wine Institute. The remaining list of common descriptors still in question includes: ruby, tawny, vintage, solera, noble and sur lie. "Vintage," a winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Censored words." name or number that appears on literally countless U.S. wine labels, is still in limbo. So are two terms that have identified dozens of U.S. wineries for decades: Chateau (65) and Clos (14). A Wine Institute statement dated Sept. 25, 2012, stated, "Wines from outside of France using the term 'chateau' have been sold in the European Union for decades. The U.S. is simply seeking to have its wineries granted the same rights as wineries in other countries." "The issue is still up in the air," said Michael Kaiser at national trade organization WineAmerica. "The EU definitely wants U.S. wineries to stop (using the terms), but nothing is signed yet. WineAmerica and Wine Institute both employ consultants who continue to seek resolution." —Jane Firstenfeld