Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau July 1, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to change the minimum content requirement for vintage date statements on some wine labels. We take this action in response to a petition from a trade association representing California wineries. We invite comments on this proposed amendment to our regulations.

This Treasury decision establishes the 570,000-acre Horse Heaven Hills viticultural area in south-central Washington State. Located along the Columbia River in portions of Klickitat, Yakima, and Benton counties, the Horse Heaven Hills area is about 115 miles east of Vancouver, Washington, and lies entirely within the established Columbia Valley viticultural area. We designate viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.