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Wine Law

Wine law is arcane and often counter-intuitive.
– Richard Mendelson, Wine in America: Law and Policy
Contents
  1. What is Wine?

Part One: European Wine Law for the Sommelier

  1. The AOC System in France
  2. Divergent Models in Italy and Germany
  3. The European Common Market for Wine
  4. CMO Reform in the 21st Century
  5. Modern EU Wine Classifications
  6. Administration of Appellations of Origin

Part Two: American Wine Law for the Sommelier

  1. Labels in the New World
  2. Post-Prohibition State and Federal Regulation of Alcoholic Beverages
  3. Tied-House Laws
  4. Law and the Three-Tier System
  5. Challenges to the Three-Tier System
  6. Granholm v. Heald
  7. Social and Legal Responsibilities of the Third Tier
  8. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
  9. United States Wine Labels

Part Three: Brief Summary of Canadian Wine Law for the Sommelier

  1. Canadian Wine Laws
In the sommelier world, we tend to take a narrow view of wine law and its implications. Those of us sitting for exams or certifications focus especially on the governance of appellations of origin systems and wine labeling. How much sugar is in brut Champagne? What percentage of what grape is required in a particular DOP? Why can’t I plant Pinot Noir and call it Chinon? Mastery of this type of material is critical in building a sommelier’s understanding of wine character, but the regulations responsible are small parts of the larger systems of laws that exist to regulate the production, sale, and marketing of wine—systems intended to promote public health and safety, to minimize consumer confusion, and to repress fraud in the wine trade. Part 1 of the following guide lays out the structure of European appellation and labeling laws while placing them within these larger systems—complex frameworks of legal, economic, health, and social policies. Parts 2 and 3 more closely examine laws governing the distribution, marketing, and sale of wine in the United States and Canada.

Essentially, wine laws provide answers to the following questions
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