Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/957564
April 2018 WINES&VINES 83 WINE EAST WINE INDUSTRY NEWS DBRANDMAKEOVER/YODERSTUDIOS What sets us apart? The Waterloo Container Team EXPERIENCE • Family Owned and Operated since 1980 • Extensive Expertise in the Wine Packaging Industry • Total Package Provider • Commitment to Customer Service • Customized Printing, Sleeving and Packaging 888-539-3922 • waterloocontainer.com Visit Us! Craft Brewers Conference May 1–3, 2018 (Booth 1230) I rving, Texas—The outgoing president of Texas' largest win- ery and grower association urged its members to put discord behind them and focus on bolster- ing the state's wine industry with- out divisive debates. "Remember who your friends are," said Dusty Timmons, owner of Lost Draw Vineyards in the High Plains AVA, to a crowd of about 300 people at the Irving Convention Center in Dallas. "You can remain friends, even if you disagree." The board of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association (TWGGA) and most of those working in the industry were taken by surprise last year, when a bill was introduced in the state assembly that would require any wines labeled as being from Texas to be produced with 100% Texan grapes. While opponents of the legislation could see some merit in the idea, they argued it was too restrictive for a growing in- d u s t r y a n d h a d b l i n d s i d e d TWGGA and its members. That debate came up again during a legislative update by TWGGA lobbyist Kyle Frazier, who said the labeling debate made progress on the associa- tion's other goals during the leg- islative session impossible. "It certainly caught me by surprise," he said. "It sucked the oxygen out of the room." He said when politicians are faced with an industry that is d e b a t i n g a m o n g i t s e l f, t h e y won't work on any bills until that group gets its own house in order. TWGGA had hoped to back two bills that would pro- vide some funding for statewide m a r k e t i n g , b u t t h o s e b o t h failed. Frazier did commend Timmons, who "kept the ship floating in the right direction" despite the discord. Survey to help labeling plan Texas lawmakers convene every other year, and Paul M. Bonar- rigo, whose family owns Messina Hof Winery, is chairing a commit- tee studying the labeling issue. At the same session, Bonarrigo told the audience the committee is working on a survey of the as- sociation members and other growers and wine producers to find a labeling plan that is built on a consensus of the state's in- dustry. That plan will then be ready for lawmakers when they reconvene in 2019. Labeling will be one of several important issues for the Texan wine industry. The 2018 conference Feb. 22-24 was the largest in TWG- GA's history and drew more than 800 people, requiring its largest venue: the vast Irving conven- tion center. —Andrew Adams Texas Wine Industry Seeks to Move Past Discord More than 800 people attended the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Associa- tion conference in Irving, Texas.