Back in the 1970s ATF/TTB worked vigorously to control wine-labeling, where FDA wanted to get involved and insist upon detailed ingredient lists, as is common on most other food labels. The matter got resolved by way of Brown-Forman Distillers Corp. v. Mathews, 435 F. Supp. 5 (W.D. Ky. 1976).
But this did not stop Bonny Doon Winery. Many of Bonny Doon’s labels include quite detailed ingredient labeling, and Bonny Doon has been one of few alcohol beverage companies willing to swim against the tide and volunteer this information. Bonny Doon’s Cunning label shows the following ingredients: grapes, tartaric acid and sulfur dioxide. It goes on to say the product was made with cultured yeast, yeast nutrients, French oak chips, and French oak barrels.
According to Decanter, Bonny Doon president Randall Grahm said:
It’s useful to provide more detailed information about the ingredients used in wine production and reduce our dependence on standard wine additions, even those considered to be benign such as tartaric acid, bentonite, yeast nutrients, enzymes, sulphur dioxide.
Let us know if you see other TTB labels with detailed ingredient labeling.
hasnt happened in new zealand yet but i see it as inevitable AND a good thing – transperancy at all levels allows the quality minded wineries to increase their profile and standing. definitely expect some opposition to it though. well done bonny doon for leading the way.
As a consumer, I’d be really interested to see this play out. Of course, the only producers who would be willing to do it would be those who have nothing to hide- Bonny Doon’s always been a stand-up producer in my book. As a wine geek, Im always up for learning more about what I’m drinking.
As a sales person, however, I shudder to think about the mass hysteria it would cause among consumers were it to become mandatory. “When did they start putting all this junk in my wine? I miss the OLD Charles Shaw” “Well, ma’am, you’ve been drinking that junk the whole time”
Like when the sulfite warnings first appeared on the labels. It was a nightmare trying to explain to people that they weren’t just suddenly adding chemicals to all wines out of nowhere.
Well that’s a nice marketing gimmick by Bonny Doon, but since there are no legal wine label ingredient regulations, how are we to know that what is printed is complete and factual? They could have also added water, enzymes, mega purple, tannins, and many other things but did not list them since they don’t have to.
Let’s not forget that anytime the government decides to add red tape, the cost of doing business increases, and this cost is generally passed onto the consumer – especially where smaller wineries are concerned. The more important question is: Do you want to pay more for a wine that lists all of the ingredients?
Excellent point, Dave.
Dave if Bonny Doon had something to hide among the ingredients, why would they push to have an ingredient list? As you note, it’s far from required. And if you don’t trust them as to the ingredient list, why would you trust them as to anything else such as the varietals, vintage, appellation, etc.? The risk in BSing it in any of these areas would be about the same, to their reputation, and under the TTB rules. The rules do cover this ingredient list, to the extent they require label statements to be truthful and non-misleading, and it would be flagrantly improper to list some ingredients without listing others.