Federal Regulations of Wine

Author: Dusty Wetton

Last week’s article was about wine regulation according to the state compliance and governance. Thus, to complete the circle, this article is focused on complying with the federal regulations. In our federal system, many things are often controlled by local, state, and national bodies; this idea is also true for wine. Wine is under the jurisdiction of The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). This body is responsible for observing those in the wine industry comply with the federal regulations, IRS code, and the U.S. Code. All of these compliances are vital to operating a successful, and legal, wine business.

The Federal laws that relate to the wine industry can be found at the TTB's website for free. Under the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, there are many issues related to basic permitting, licensing, and uses of wine. There are also sections focused on wine labels and trademark issues. Corresponding to these labels are sections about American Viticulture Areas and names of non-generic significance related to geographic areas.

Other codes are the following:

Internal Revenue Code (IRC), Title 26 United States Code (USC), Chapter 51

Federal Alcohol Administration Act, Title 27 United States Code (USC), Chapters 6 and 8

Most of the laws and regulations that you will need can be found in Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you are in the wine industry, be sure to check there frequently to ensure that you are in full-compliance with all necessary regulations.

For legal services or questions regarding this blog, please contact me at dwetton@lauruslaw.com.

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