Wines & Vines

March 2015 Wines&Vines 21 wine industry news TTB LABEL APPROVALS Low per-label costs Gov't. Liaison Negotiations or Footwork Reasonable Hourly Rates TRADEMARK SEARCHES As Low as $185 Your trade names or designs are searched at the U.S. Patent Office to help establish valuable ownership or avoid costly legal liability. Over 100 years' total staff experience handling every government liaison need for industry. Phone or write for details. 200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 321 Arlington, Virginia 22203 Phone: (703) 524-8200 Fax: 525-8451 TOLL-FREE 1-800-642-6564 Major Credit Cards Accepted www.trademarkinfo.com Since 1957 GovtLiaison_Dir08 11/29/07 2:00 PM Pag V ancouver, B.C.—British Columbia's Okanagan Valley may have been dubbed "Napa of the North," but California's Wine Institute is calling out the Canadian prov- ince's lawmakers for new retail rules favoring homegrown wines. A letter addressed to B.C. premier Christy Clark by Tom LaFaille, vice president and in- ternational trade counsel with California's Wine Institute, took issue with provisions an- nounced in December 2014 regarding the sale of wines bearing the B.C. Vintners' Quality Alliance (BCVQA) designation—made entirely from B.C. grapes—on grocery store shelves. Grocers are poised to begin selling alcohol in British Columbia on April 1, following a comprehensive review of provincial liquor regulations and policies in 2013. LaFaille expressed concern regarding B.C.'s plans for designated shelving of the products, as well as plans to grant a limited number of new licenses to grocery stores exclusively for the sale of B.C. wines. Licenses held by these grocers would be similar to those granted 25 years ago to the B.C. Wine Institute (BCWI), allowing the establishment of approximately 20 wine stores selling exclusively B.C. wine. The original licenses were part of a package developed to support the B.C. wine industry's growth and renewal in the wake of the Canada- U.S. Free Trade Agreement's implementation, which had left the province with just 1,000 acres of wine grape vineyards. The new rules also allow one of the existing VQA stores to locate within a grocer so long as those grocers sell those wines exclusively. LaFaille's letter asks that "the initiative be withdrawn or modified to allow for equal ac- cess of all wines at B.C. grocery stores." B.C. justice minister Suzanne Anton, whose portfolio includes liquor reform, did not respond to Wines & Vines' request for comment. Despite the criticism from California, the rules governing wine sales in supermarkets don't concern current BCWI chair Josie Tyabji, the director of western estates and industry for Constellation Brands. "They've sent this inflam- matory note to the premier, completely misun- derstanding that they actually also will be going into grocery stores," Tyabji said. "All the liquor stores will be moving into grocery stores.…We're excited about the opportunity to improve the convenience for consumers." Tyabji acknowledged that designated shelves for B.C. products might appear like favored status, however, she said nothing pre- vents grocers from stocking their shelves under provisions that allow for foreign wines. Gladys Horiuchi, media relations director for California's Wine Institute, declined com- ment on the matter. The letter, however, was not entirely unexpected. David Eby, who now monitors liquor policy for the B.C. New Democratic Party, said the program simply wasn't well thought out. "Anybody with an even passing familiarity with trade law knew there was a problem here," he said. —Peter Mitham California Wineries Talk Tough to Canada "Anybody with an even passing familiarity with trade law knew there was a problem here." —David Eby, B.C. lawmaker

• Cover