FAQ
Wine Labeling Regulations
Sonoma Winegrape Commission
Wine Labeling Regulations
Q. Can I include Sonoma County on my front label along with my American Viticulture Area (AVA) or AVA and vineyard designation?
A. The short answer is yes.
There had been a problem of interpretation within the label compliancearena for a number of years and a definitive answer was only providedrecently. Susan Gregory, of Wine Institute confirmed with TTB that thecorrect interpretation of the regulations is the following.
Susan wrote: "Per our conversation a winery may list a viticulturalarea as an appellation of origin provided not less than 85% of thegrapes are grown in that viticultural area. You may, additionally, liston the label the county within which the viticultural area is located.This is acceptable to do under TTB regulations provided the wine meetsall of the requirements to label with a particular AVA and the countylisted is the county within which the AVA is located."
The TTB responded: "I concur with the information that was provided by Susan Gregory." Marsha Heath, TTB.
Q. What percentage of grapes must be from Sonoma County to have Sonoma County on the front label?
A. At least 75%.
Q. What percentage of grapes must be from the AVA if the AVA name is on the front label?
A. At least 85%.
Sonoma County Winegrape Commission
Q. Who does the Sonoma County Wine Commission represent?
A. It represents 1,800 Sonoma County winegrape growers. It focuses onmarketing and education about Sonoma County's grape growing and issuesimportant to sustaining profitable grape production.
Q. What do grape growers do to stop soil erosion?
A. It is very much in vineyardists' interest to preserve topsoil. Grapegrowers use mulch and plant cover crops to stop erosion in newvineyards, and many vineyards have permanent cover crops to reduce bothdust and erosion. The Vineyard Erosion and Sedimentation ControlOrdinance (VESCO) requires growers to submit erosion control plans forall new vineyards with greater than 10 or 15% slope.
Q. Is use of pesticides and herbicides on the rise in Sonoma County?
A. It is very much in vineyardists’ interest to protect consumers,workers, and the environment from harmful chemicals. Therefore,pesticide and herbicide usage (as measured by the Dept. of PesticideRegulation (DPR) in pounds applied) on established vineyards havedecreased since 1999 in Sonoma County while grape acres have increased.Sulfur, an organic fungicide not known to be toxic to humans, comprises80 percent of total pesticide usage.
Q. Will pests, including Pierce’s disease and phylloxera, wipe out Sonoma County’s grape industry?
A. Growers are selecting pest-resistant grape varieties and rootstockswhen possible, but producers still risk vine loss to these pests.
Q. What do grape growers do to avoid water pollution?
A. New vineyards in Sonoma County must abide by 25- or 50-foot ripariansetbacks, and control runoff in order to comply with VESCO. TheRegional Water Quality Control Board, Fish and Game, and other stateand federal agencies also have statutory authority affecting vineyardpractices in new and established vineyards. These regulations aredesigned to protect water quality, endangered species, and conservesoil.
Q. Is pesticide contamination of groundwater a serious problem in Sonoma County?
A. No. The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) stated in November1999 that Sonoma County had no confirmed examples of groundwaterpollution by agricultural pesticides.
Q. What do growers do to protect wildlife habitat?
A. We encourage our members to design vineyards to retain pockets ofunique natural habitat. In addition, many growers use permanent covercrops, place birdhouses and owl boxes in vineyards for biologicalcontrol of insects and rodents, and preserve oaks and unique treegroves. Vineyards themselves provide wildlife corridors and habitat fornumerous wild species.
Q. What’s the status of Sonoma County’s Vineyard Ordinance (VESCO)?
A. The ordinance was effective on March 8, 2000. Now any grower whowants to plant or replant a vineyard must notify the AgriculturalCommissioner's office and submit an erosion control plan when averageslope exceeds 10% on highly erodible soils or exceeds 15% on all othersoils.
Q. How many member vineyards are corporate versus family owned?
A. Most Sonoma County vineyards are small and privately owned, many byfamily corporations. In fact, 40% of vineyard owners have vineyardsless than 20 acres and 80% have vineyards less than 100 acres. Grapeproduction is one of the few crops to provide sufficient revenues tosupport numerous small farming operations.
Q. Do pesticides cause cancer?
A. Tests with animals show some chemicals are carcinogenic. Grapegrowers’ use of potentially carcinogenic chemicals is low and decliningas growers adopt alternative and safer pest control measures, includingreduced risk pesticides which have low human toxicity and do not inducecancer in test animals. No causal link has been found or verified bythe American Cancer Society for cancer in humans due to pesticides usedin grape production today.
Q. Do residences and vineyards compete for water?
A. Very few viticultural areas of Sonoma County can be dry farmed andprovide a reliable crop for growers and their winery buyers. Therefore,the majority of our members irrigate, applying 20,000 to 160,000gallons annually. Annual water use (from all sources, including soilwater and rainfall) per acre of grapes is less than required by an acreof apples, vegetable crops, or subdivision housing.
Q. Will all the rural land in Sonoma County be planted in grapes in my lifetime??
A. Like all agricultural products, premium grapes are subject to marketdemand. The Commission believes that market forces will restrain futuredevelopment of vineyards. US wine consumption is increasing at lessthan 2%/year, thus increases in demand for wine and therefore premiumgrapes are limited. It is not conceivable to think a crop that todayoccupies only 6% of Sonoma County’s land area will even double itsacreage in your lifetime. A greater risk is that urban growth willultimately displace grape acres in your lifetime.
(1) For information, see www.sonomawinegrape.org
(2) Article 5, Chapter 30 of the Sonoma County Code; you may request acopy from the Commission or the county Agricultural Commissioner’soffice.
(3) For information, see DPR annual pesticide use reports for Sonoma County.
(4) see DPR 338 well samples and the 11/99 DPR letter
(5) For more information, see our 11/99 white paper on "The State of the Science of Sonoma County Grape Growing."
(6) see the ACS website at www.cancer.org
(7)Personal communication from Dr. Mark Greenspan, Advanced Viticulture.