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United Club Wine: False Advertising

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Old Nov 5, 2014, 9:07 pm
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by bburrito
Has anybody else noticed that on the price list cards on the bars in the United Club they are advertising Mark West Napa Valley Pinot Noir but what is actually being served is Mark West California Pinot Noir?

I mentioned this to a few people and it was suggested that I was being picky and snobby. However, I view it as a false advertising thing. Its clearly a nationwide issue as I have noticed it in 5 different clubs now. Also, I want to drink the Mark West Napa Valley Pinot. Its really really good! The California version is well... meh. The difference is... Mark West California is almost cheap enough to be served as the house wine. Mark West Napa Valley however is actually a top shelf wine.
They are two different wines, at least from a label point. If Napa Valley appears in the name it has to be a wine with 80% of the grapes coming from from that appelation. You can use a state name (like California) so long as 80% of the grapes come from somewhere in the state. A California Pinot probably means very lesser quality grapes from lower value growing regions like the central valley. In fact, say you had a Pinot vineyard in Modesto and made a wine from 100% modesto pinot grapes. Most would label that wine "California" to capture a better price point than if it was just a "Modesto" Pinot. Likewise, if you were using Napa grapes you would probably make sure you made the 80% threshold so you could use the "Napa" name. In otherwords, using Napa attracts buyers and gets you a better price. So its bait and switch.
That said, the better Napa Valley Pinot region is not Napa Valley but a subregion with its own appellation/ AVA name, Carneros. Carneros is south, closer to the bay and gets more of the fog and moisture that often marks a good Pinot growing area.
It is bait and switch, completely un-acceptable and you are not being snobbish or rude to point this out.
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 9:20 pm
  #32  
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That said, the better Napa Valley Pinot region is not Napa Valley but a subregion with its own appellation/ AVA name, Carneros. Carneros is south, closer to the bay and gets more of the fog and moisture that often marks a good Pinot growing area.
It is bait and switch, completely un-acceptable and you are not being snobbish or rude to point this o
Just wait until they try to sell something from Richmond with a "Contra Costa" appellation...
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Old Nov 5, 2014, 9:28 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Wine labels may contain several types of geographic designations of origin:

Appellations of origin that are the names of states and counties can be used on wine labels under federal law if at least 75% of the grapes come from the named state or county. The remainder of the grapes may come from outside the named state or county.
For wine labeled with an American viticultural area (AVA), which is a specific type of appellation of origin established under federal law, at least 85% of the grapes must come from the named AVA (for example Napa Valley), while the remainder of the grapes may come from outside of the AVA. That wine must be fully finished in the state in which the AVA is located.
California law requires that 100% of the grapes come from within California for any wine labeled with the appellation of origin California or a geographical subdivision of the state. This is stricter than the federal labeling standard.
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