Oregon winemakers say you can judge a wine by its label

Wine labeling is a complicated business as Joe Wagner can tell you. The Napa Valley wine maker’s controversial wine labeling has left a bad taste with the state of Oregon and its vintners.

Wagner is a fifth-generation Napa Valley vintner who makes Oregon pinot noir under his Elouan label, but he doesn’t actually make any of his wine in Oregon. He purchases Oregon grapes and has them shipped to his California production facilities. This does not go down well with the Oregon Winegrowers Association. They have accused Wagner of deceptive labeling practices.

According to the Oregonian, Wagner harvests his pinot grapes in the Willamette Valley, an area recognized by the government for its distinct soil type, climate and geography. Jim Bernau of Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner told the paper that “labeling, packaging and marketing materials are the wine’s resume upon which consumers can rely.” The Oregon Winegrowers Association and a state lawmaker argue that the labels on two of Wagner’s Oregon branded-wines, may have violated state and federal regulations by falsely advertising the grapes’ place of origin.

“When it comes to wine, terroir is everything,” says the wine columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. A spokesman for the Oregon winegrowers told the Chronicle, “Whether it’s Florida orange juice, Idaho potatoes, Kobe beef from Japan, people around the world who are engaged in commerce have to protect the name of their geographies.”

David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyards in Newberg, Oregon, told the Oregonian that Wagner’s vision of what Willamette Valley pinot noir should taste like had little to do with the Willamette Valley style,” Adelsheim says.

For his part, Wagner insists he has done nothing wrong and told the Chronicle he’s done nothing to deserve so much negative press. He also argues that the labeling laws are outdated and should be revised.

The Chronicle says it’s an issue of consumer awareness. Federal regulations are very strict when it comes to how a wine from any region is to be labeled. Wagner’s method of harvesting grapes in one region and making wine in another creates a tangle of legal issues when it comes to how the wine should be advertised and labeled. If a wine violates government labeling laws, Wagner will have to correct all future labels, potentially pay a fine from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission along with other possible penalties.

At a hearing before Oregon’s House Interim Committee on Economic Development and Trade, state representative David Gomberg argued that truth in labeling laws were important to protect the wine regions identities to protect local industries and the jobs of people who work in those industries, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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