State court rules on Napa label law

Wines & Vines, July, 2005

In other legal news, the California Court of Appeal unanimously ruled to uphold a labeling law requiring any wine with the word "Napa" on the label to contain Napa wine in the bottle. In a decision against the Bronco Wine Company, the court confirmed the right of California to protect wine consumers from misleading brands.

The court did not bar Bronco from using a brand name that may imply Napa origin for the wine, but it did say the name could not be used in a deceptive way.

Napa Valley Vintners sees the decision as a significant victory for Napa in the lengthy legal dispute with Bronco. Bronco filed the case in 2000, following passage of a California state law sponsored by Senator Wesley Chesbro and then-Assemblywoman Patricia Wiggins that would prohibit the use of brand names with the word Napa (or any federally recognized viticultural region within Napa County) if the wine in the bottle did not meet minimum federal labeling requirements.

The legal battle has implications beyond Napa, as it touches on the integrity of geographic denominations of origin around the world.

Bronco has 90 days to appeal this decision to the California Supreme Court. For more information visit napavintners.com.