Popularity of Oregon wine leading out-of-state wineries to make false associations

As the Oregon wine industry continues to boom, vineyards outside the state hoping to cash in on the region’s success are making false links to the state's viticultural areas for their own wines, which might be against the law, experts testified at a hearing Monday.

The state, known for its pinot noir, added 92 vineyards and 44 wineries last year, according to the latest Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report. Total sales grew more than $550 million in 2017, up nearly 4 percent over 2016, according to an annual study by the University of Oregon Institute for Policy Research and Engagement.

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But as the red varietal continues to increase in popularity, winemakers elsewhere are marketing and labeling their wines with inaccurate claims associating them with Oregon, which some argue violates industry regulations.

Rep. David Gomberg of the Oregon House of Representatives said he first noticed the problem when he saw a wine made in California that was labeled as an Oregon coast pinot noir, though that type of grape isn’t grown on the Oregon coast.

Witnesses testified on the issue before the House interim committee on economic development and trade, arguing that winemakers need to be careful when making claims, as names that violate the regulations could result in fines up to $25,000.

“The idea of geographic standards of identity is a global phenomenon,” Tom Danowski, president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“The industry here has spent 53 years creating an image for the Willamette Valley,” David Adelsheim, who founded Adelsheim Vineyard in 1971, told the Chronicle. “Now our concern is the potential of people who may not have our best interests at heart to take advantage of the brand that is Willamette Valley Pinot.”

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While it isn’t uncommon for wineries in states like California to import grapes from Oregon to make their wine, winemakers must follow Oregon’s strict labeling guidelines, which require wine to be at least 95 percent from its listed American viticultural area (federal law requires just 85 percent), and at least 90 percent its listed grape variety (federal law requires just 75 percent), according to the Chronicle.

The Oregon Department of Justice has been asked to investigate specific instances of wine mislabeling from vineyards in California.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.