Wine is Good for You...and for Agri-Tourism

This post is less about environmental litigation and more about the environment of wine.  Indiana wine grapes, in particular.  The federal government (specifically the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau or "TTB") recently designated 2,000,000 acres in southern Indiana as a viticultural area, to be called the "Indiana Uplands."  An "American Viticultural Area," or "AVA" is a designated wine grape-growing region distinguished by its geographic features.  The borders of the recently-designated AVA in Indiana runs from the Morgan-Monroe County line near Bloomington south to the Ohio River, a distance of just over 100 miles.  The soil, climate, and topography in this swath of land are conducive for growing great wine grapes.

This AVA designation indicates the growing importance of agri-tourism in Indiana.  The designation also allows vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they want to purchase.  For a wine to be labeled with a viticultural area name, at least 85% of the wine must be derived from grapes grown within the viticultural area represented. The wine must also meet the other conditions in 27 CFR 4.25(e)(3) (discussing wine name and label requirements).

For more information on the recent designation of the Indiana Uplands, see the details of the TTB's determination in the Federal Register here.  The Hoosier Ag Today provides a bit more information about the economic impact of the designation in its top story today, located here.