Opinion ID: 399265
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Winemaking Terms

Text: 29 At one time, the Bureau proposed revisions designed to remedy the possibl(y) misleading aspects of the regulations defining such winemaking terms as produced and made by. 62 But ultimately, and despite vigorous complaints by consumers, 63 the agency decided to continue in force rules which allow wineries fermenting as little as 75 percent of a given wine to represent that they produced it, 64 and which permit those contributing very little to the final produce to say that they made it. 65 30 These regulations cannot be upheld, at least at present. The Bureau has brought to our attention no record material to justify its action. The agency's statutorily-required concise general statement of reason 66 is much more concise than informative; in full, it merely declares that (a)fter considering the comments and testimony, the Bureau has decided not to issue new regulations on the subject of winemaking terms at this time. 67 It is by no means intuitively clear why it is not misleading for a winery to represent that it produced a wine when another was heavily involved in its production, or that it made a wine that in fact it purchased. These regulations, along with those dealing with geographical terms, must be returned to the Bureau.