Avid wine drinkers may start seeing some new grape varieties appear on labels from local wineries for the first time in five years, pending federal approval.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposed to amend wine labeling regulations by adding new grape variety names to the list of those approved for American wines, which hasn’t been revised since October 2011. Vintners nationwide—including several from the Central Coast—have nominated grape varieties for the proposed updated list.
But it’s not an easy process. According to the federal register, people petitioning to add new grape varieties have to include a reference to the proposed grape type and its name in a scientific or professional journal of horticulture or published report; information on the grape variety’s commercial potential, such as acreage planted and its location or market studies; and a reference to the plant’s patent, if it’s patented.
The following local vintners have proposed new official grape varieties:
• Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles is petitioning to add five new varieties to the grape list. Gros manseng is a white grape of French origin, and picardan and bourboulenc are white grapes from the Rhone region of France. The vineyard is also proposing terret noir and vaccarese, red grapes also from France’s Rhone region.
• Templeton’s RBZ Vineyards is proposing to add caladoc, a red grape that was developed in France in 1958 as a cross of grenache and malbec. It’s proposing another crossed-variety red grape as well, called marselan, which blends cabernet sauvignon with grenache noir.
• Laraneta Winery, also in Templeton, is petitioning for bianchetta trevigiana, a white grape variety originally from northern Italy.
Finally, Cypher Winery in Paso Robles has submitted touriga nacional, a black grape originally grown in Portugal. The winery has also petitioned to add “tinta cao” as a synonym for the existing tinto cão, and tinta roriz as a synonym for a grape variety already known as tempranillo or Valdepeñas.
The bureau is accepting public comment on the proposed varieties through Jan. 17, 2017, and encourages comments from people who have extra information on whether a proposed grape name is accurate and appropriate.
This article appears in Nov 24 – Dec 1, 2016.
