A few months back, the state of California passed a law concerning wine makers. The law requires that wines produced in Sonoma must say “Sonoma County” while already designated with other Sonoma appellations such as Sonoma Coat and Russian River. While there has been some resistance, the movement is substantially supported in favor of the inclusion. The idea of the addition is to somewhat brand the particular cast of wine into a widely-recognized regional specialist, much like Napa Valley. Several smaller wineries insisted that the wide variation in soils and climate wouldn’t be represented appropriately by using such a blanket solution. On consideration to be made is the fact that several AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) already have “Sonoma” in the name such as Sonoma Mountain or Sonoma Coast. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Some wineries that know how to make wine in different terrains and conditions, have to choose which label’s regional theme to change. This can be quite expensive for small operations like you or I, should we master our craft! Hehe…. Soon. J
Should wineries to include “Sonoma County” on their labels?