Can wine be made in one state with grapes grown in another state?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Thanks for your recent answer about Oregon’s complex wine regulations. I think I’ve seen wine produced and bottled in California using Oregon grapes. Is that allowed, and how can I tell if a wine has been made by the same winery that grew the grapes?
—Thom, San Francisco
Dear Thom,
Thanks for reading, and thanks for sending such a great follow-up question!
It’s more common than you might think for a winery in one state to make wine from grapes grown in another state. Many wineries in states with burgeoning wine industries (Texas and Georgia, say) produce wines from grapes they grow themselves as well as wines using grapes or juice from more famous places (like Napa).
Typically, those wines will be clearly labelled as coming from somewhere that’s not Texas or Georgia. And as you point out, it’s not uncommon for wineries in established places (like California) to produce wines using grapes grown in other established places (like Oregon).
The exact language used on the label can differ depending on the regulations of the state where the grapes were grown. Copper Cane Wines & Provisions, a California company that makes Oregon Pinot Noir under the Elouan label, was involved in a prominent controversy several years ago over just those regulations.
If you want to be sure a wine was made by the same people who grew the grapes, look for the term “estate bottled.” It may be used if the wine is labeled with an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the winery is within that AVA, 100 percent of the grapes were grown in the AVA and all of the growing and production occurred under the winery’s control—including crush, fermentation, finishing and bottling. The wine cannot have left the winery at any time during that process. No field trips!
Confusingly, the term “estate grown” has no legal meaning. While you’re likely to see the term on some wine labels, including many quality wines, its meaning can vary widely depending on the winery.
Other terms you’re likely to see on wine labels include “cellared and bottled by,” “produced and bottled by” and many others. Both of those terms allow for at least some of the wine to have been made somewhere other than the winery that bottled the wine.
—Dr. Vinny
