Sonoma County wineries were in Washington, D.C., today to sign the second round of the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin. These wineries join vintners from Washington, Oregon, Napa, Champagne, Porto (where Port wine is made), and Jerez (where Sherry is made) who in 2005 initiated the declaration of joint principles emphasizing the importance of location to wine and the need to protect place names.
The joint declaration states: “Wine, more than any other beverage, is valued based on its association to its place of origin — and with good reason…. The names of these places are familiar, and synonymous with quality.”
The document further states: “The geographic place names of wine regions are the sole birthright of the grapes that are grown there, and when these names appear on wines that do not contain fruit from that region, they lose their integrity and their relevance, becoming merely words.”
Winemakers know what they’re doing. They’ve long understood they can maximize the value of their brands by defining their geographic origins and then protecting them jealously by keeping outsiders out.
As STL has previously discussed (here and here), the trick is in defining the region. Protecting it is the easy part.