Joe Wagner Ordered to Change His Oregon Wine Labels

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I think everyone bitching and filing complaints is ridiculous too. And those set rules are actually ass backwards.
My wine I made from grapes grown and harvested in Chilè would technically be New Jersey wine according to TTB. Total BS. If I’m buying Pinot made from Oregon grapes —- id like to know it!
How bout “fruit sourced from willamette AVA. Made and bottled in Cali” ? Nope. The rules require them to be less forthcoming. Not cool
 
A little more light on the subject. The rules seem pretty straightforward.

https://kval.com/news/local/is-california-wine-posing-as-oregon-wine

They listed 3 different AVA's and the rule says in order to list a specific AVA in Oregon you need to have 95% of the fruit coming from that AVA. We have a mathematically impossible problem here. Pick one.
 
I get the impression Joe Wagner, who hit a huge financial home run with his baby, Meiomi Pinot Noir, being sold to Constellation Brands for $315 million in 2015, is a disruptive force who purposely stirred up antagonisms between California and Oregon winemakers. AVA designations and labels are valuable - just as valuable perhaps as brands, as Joe well knows. When Oregon took him to task for what they viewed a deceptive labeling cashing in on the attraction of Williamette Valley grapes, he counter-struck by refusing a large quantity of contracted Oregon grapes from Southern Oregon this past harvest, questionably claiming smoke-taint, and possible delivering some serious financial blows to some small growers in Oregon. The Oregon producers tried to band together to take up the slack and buy or process the refused harvest lots. Ugly and contrary to the general supportive nature of many in the wine business. As a spectator sport, it definitely appears Joe wears the black hat - I think he knew exactly what he was doing, and that was trying to push the envelope with confusing labeling as far as he could. Smart guy, but this time, caught out.
 
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Well, John, this has been known to happen from time to time. The following thread won't be fully revelatory, because the avatars you see in the thread are, of course, the current 2018 avatars, but it may give you some sense of the occasional avatar shenanigans.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/the-only-constant-is-change.43696/

Oh, I’m fully aware, but it doesn’t mean that I approve. If I were Super Secret Special Moderator for a day, I’d freeze all avatars permanently. LOL!
 

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