The Champagne Bureau, the U.S. representative of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), has awarded  Schramsberg Vineyards and Beringer Vineyards their first Truth-in-Labeling Award of Excellence.

The bureau, calling both Napa Valley wineries “visionary,” wrote in a press release, “The Truth-in-Labeling Award of Excellence is given to leaders in the wine world who demonstrate a commitment to the integrity of wine place and origin. In the case of these two producers, their commitment to truth in labeling has included significant labeling changes that ended the use of terms associated with other wine growing areas and proudly supports the grape locations where their wines come from.”

It is part the ongoing efforts of the French to see that only wines produced in the Champagne region of France are labeled “Champagne.” 

“Wine labels that truthfully depict the wine’s appellation or place of origin ensure that consumers receive clear information and are a further sign of the winemaker’s pride in the location from where the wine comes,” said Champagne Bureau Director Sam Heitner. “Schramsberg and Beringer’s consistent leadership in proudly proclaiming the origin of their grapes, educating consumers about the importance of truth-in-labeling and making business decisions based on these beliefs makes them perfect recipients of this award.  We look forward to highlighting numerous other examples of similar leadership throughout the U.S. wine community in years to come.”

Last year, these two wineries — that formerly did label some of their products  “Champagne” formally requested that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau delete 13 old Certificate of Label Approvals from the government’s data base. Although the lables had not been used in years, the COLAs had still been registered to these companies and included the term “Champagne.” The step was necessary since, unlike trademarks, COLAs don’t expire and even can be sold or transferred, a disregard for the spirit of the trade agreements, according to the release.

The Napa Valley was one of original signers of a joint declaration to protect wine place and origin, a multi-year effort to educate policymakers and consumers about wine place names. Today, the coalition has grown to 13 members including Sonoma County, Paso Robles, Oregon, Washington State, Champagne, Port and Sherry.

The bureau’s release noted, “Wine is uniquely tied to its place of origin. The land, air, water, soil and weather where grapes are grown are what make each wine unique. Consequently, it is vital that wine labels reflect the geographic area where they were produced in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and protect the integrity of great wine-growing regions like Napa Valley, Walla Walla Valley, or Champagne.

“Yet today, a loophole in U.S. law allows some domestic winemakers to use the place names of 16 internationally recognized wine regions on wines that are not produced in those regions, potentially misleading consumers who have a right to know from where their wine actually comes.”