[quantim]

It would behoove the rest of the American domestic market to do the same with our AVA's (American Viticulture Area) for proprietary reasons.

I can imagine a bunch of left over bilge say from Languedoc re-labeled "Sonoma Style," or maybe "Columbia Valley Blend" or other such gimmick.

Just as Gallo called their swill "Chablis" before they got sued.

[GVnana]

left over bilge say from Languedoc re-labeled "Sonoma Style," or maybe "Columbia Valley Blend" or other such gimmick

Which could dovetail into the debate about the EU allowing Primitivo to be labelled as Zinfandel.

[LantzALot]

(From your link;) Once an AVA is established, at least 85% of the grapes used to make a wine must be grown in the specified area.

A son-in-law works for one of the big-name wineries in Napa Valley. I believe he told me that they require 90% of the grapes to be from Napa to qualify for the appellation.

[CatoRenasci]

I'm way too late to this thread - having been away since last week for my eldest daughter's college graduation (one off the books!), but you should remember before condemning the Californian (and other winegrowing regions) for using terms like "chablis," "burgundy," "rhine," and "claret" (never 'bordeaux) that these names were used for (in some cases) hundreds of years before the French devised their Appellation controlle system in the 1930s. Bordeaux had the 1855 classification, and I don't think I've ever seen a pre-prohibition California label with the name "bordeaux" or a chateau name on it. But, it was very much normal practice to describe wines of any region by the style the were intended to have. How else? No one outside the industry had a clue about grape varieties, and before the mid-19th century, not many people in the industry did either.