Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/853816
60 WINES&VINES August 2017 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS WINE EAST A ustin, Texas—If a proposed law had been passed by Texas state lawmakers in the most recent legislative session, all wines bearing a Texas appella- tion would have been required to use 100% Texas grapes. While the federal government requires that wineries use just 75% appellation grapes for state labeling, California and Oregon require 100%, and Washington state mandates 95%. Texas re- quires just 75%, but lawmakers had introduced legislation that would have changed that to 100% effective Sept. 1. The bill never made it out of committee, but it did ignite a con- tentious debate about labeling laws in a state that is home to a fast- growing industry but one that has struggled with grape shortages. The proposed legislation was submitted by lawmakers, but changing the labeling requirement is an issue championed by Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett, the owners of William Chris Vineyards in Hye, Texas. The winery launched a petition on Change.org about the issue and has since rallied a group of eight other wineries to form an organization and commit to using nothing but Texas grapes. The group's mission is "to promote and protect the integrity of Texas wine by making wines solely from grapes grown in the terroir of Texas." In a blog post on their winery's website, Brundrett and Blackmon also announced they had pulled their winery out of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Associa- tion (TWGGA) because of the labeling dispute. Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo, CEO o f t h e M e s s i n a H o f w i n e r y founded by his mother and father, said he and the rest of the industry in the state were "blindsided" by the proposal. Bonarrigo, who is a TWGGA board member, told Wines & Vines he only learned of the bill after it had been introduced to the legis- lature. "First of all, my winery makes more 100% Texas wine than anyone else in the state," he said, adding he is a firm believer in the sanctity of using grapes of a specific origin and place. He pointed out, however, that the TWGGA holds a series of re- gional meetings with growers and vintners to determine what are the most important issues for the indus- try to focus on during the legislative session. While the labeling issue did come up, it wasn't of enough con- cern from members to warrant TW- GGA's attention. Instead the bill was introduced with a Sept. 1 deadline, which surprised Bonarrigo and others in the Texas wine industry. "It needs to be a conversation we have as an industry with a timeline," he said. "It was really done in poor taste in my opinion." TWGGA now has assigned a committee to focus on the issue, Wine East Covering Eastern North America Texas Wine Industry Debates Labeling Laws Promote your wines to leading Zinfandel enthusiasts and extend your winery's relationship in the market. Join Us! We are champions of Zinfandel— America's Heritage Wine Become part of our proud legacy zinfandel.org • 530-274-4900 Zinfandel Advocates & Producers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. ZAP is dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel and its unique place in our culture and history. You know how good your Zinfandel is... " It needs to be a conversation we have as an industry." —Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo, Messina Hof