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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 1 3 proposal by the TTB to rein in the use of the For Sale in Only des- ignation, which lets producers use out-of-state appellations as long as the wine is only sold in the produc- er's state, has run into unexpected opposition. The comment period for the new For Sale in Only regulation, which was supposed to end at the end of August, was extended until the beginning of Decem- ber. The proposal, which several industry observers expected to become rule without much fuss, has apparently riled a variety of wine producers and grapegrow- ers throughout the country. They either see it as necessary to pro- tect appellation integrity or as a change that will make it more dif- ficult for them to stay in business. The Congressional Wine Cau- cus supported the changes, while the California Association of Wine Growers asked for a delay and the Wine America trade group didn't take a position. Even Texans were divided. Russ Kane, a Houston wine writer and consul- tant who's long argued for some of the changes in the proposal, said the advent of FSO 40 years ago has "allowed wine to be sold without a reference to place or appellation. Therefore, FSO wines became commodity beverages, some- thing akin to Coke or Pepsi." On the other hand, the co-owners of Times Ten Cellars, an urban win- ery in Dallas, wrote in a comment in the Federal Register that the new rules would force them to significant- ly change the way they did business. Said Rob Wilson: "Growers of hops provide their product to beer produc- ers all over the country and world, and no one cares. … It should be the same for wineries. We aren't trying to deceive the customer. The wine always says what it is and where the grapes were grown. What more is needed here? This is caused by folks meddling in the process and not real- izing the negative impact to the overall industry." For Sale in What State Only? Under the new rules, wines labeled FSO won't be allowed to list the vin- tage or the grapes used to make the wine. Currently, FSO wines can list both and look local in almost every way, save that they don't have a state name on the front label. The only clue that they aren't made with local grapes is a line in small type on the back label that says FSO, the meaning of which only wine writers, wine geeks and winemakers understand. It's important to note that FSO isn't illegal and that many pro- ducers use it legitimately. The problem comes when it's used to disguise non-local wine as local, something that happens too often. That, apparently, was the impetus for the rules change: A Georgia winery selling an FSO wine NEWS FLASH Jennifer Congdon Now Co-Wine Director at Granada Hotel & Bistro Sommelier Jennifer Congdon has been named co-wine director at the Granada Hotel & Bistro in San Luis Obispo. She'll also continue as manager of The Station, San Luis Obispo's marquee wine bar/ wine shop and creative space. In her new position, Congdon will be working alongside Kimberly Walker, the founder of both The Station and Granada Hotel & Bistro. Winesong Raises Record Amount Mendocino's 32nd annual Winesong, which took place September 9 and 10, raised more than $700,000, a record- breaking amount for the event. Wine- song is produced by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation, and all proceeds go toward supporting the local Mendocino Coast District Hos- pital, which serves a 600+ mile area of residents and visitors alike. Duckhorn Acquired by TSG Consumer Partners Duckhorn Wine Company has been acquired by TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco-based strategic equity investor in consumer brands. The transaction includes all six Duck- horn Wine Company wineries: Duck- horn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Paraduxx, Migration, Decoy and Canvasback and their corresponding properties, along with more than 600 acres of estate vineyards. All employees are being retained and Dan and Margaret Duckhorn will also remain involved. Amy Butler Joins Paso Underground With two decades of vintages under her belt (nine of them include her Ranchero Cellars brand), Amy Butler has joined three other small produc- ers at Paso Underground, a shared tasting room in downtown Paso Robles, Calif. She is particularly known for her white Rhone varieties. " 1- BY JEFF SIEGEL For more industry news briefs, visit the News Flash page on V&WM's website: http:// www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/web-exclusive1.asp.