Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to establish the 11,200-acre Tulocay viticultural area in Napa County, California. The proposed viticultural area lies totally within the Napa Valley viticultural area and the larger, multi-county North Coast 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. We invite comments on this proposed addition to our regulations.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issues this notice to describe the analytical method that it uses to determine the total reducing sugars content in the cigars and cigarettes that it analyzes. We reference this method in our notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Tax Classification of Cigars and Cigarettes,'' which is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. We are giving notice of this method so that interested members of the public may use the same method to evaluate the total reducing sugars of tobacco products for the purpose of commenting on the proposed rule.

In response to industry member requests, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau extends the comment period for Notice No. 62, Major Food Allergen Labeling for Wines, Distilled Spirits and Malt Beverages, a notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2006, for an additional 90 days.

This interim rule, which parallels the recent amendments to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act contained in the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, adopts labeling standards for major food allergens used in the production of alcohol beverages subject to the labeling requirements of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. In addition, elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, we are publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking that proposes to make major food allergen labeling mandatory. That notice solicits comments from the public, including consumers and affected industry members, on the proposed labeling requirements and the time frame for making the requirements mandatory. Under the interim regulations, producers, bottlers, and importers of wines, distilled spirits, and malt beverages may voluntarily declare the presence of milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans, as well as ingredients that contain protein derived from these foods, in their products, but are not required to do so. The interim regulations, however, set forth rules that are mandatory for how industry members must undertake such labeling, should they choose to do so. The regulations also contain procedures for petitioning for an exemption from the standards imposed on those alcohol beverage producers who wish to make voluntary allergen statements on their product labels.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to expand the Alexander Valley viticultural area in Sonoma County, California, by 1,300 acres along its northwestern boundary line. 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. We invite comments on this proposed amendment to our regulations.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to establish the 8,263-square mile ``Snake River Valley'' viticultural area in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. 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. We invite comments on this proposed addition to our regulations.

This Treasury decision establishes the 2,090-acre Saddle Rock- Malibu viticultural area in Los Angeles County, California. 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.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to establish the Outer Coastal Plain viticultural area in southeastern New Jersey. The proposed viticultural area consists of approximately 2,255,400 acres and includes all of Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, and Ocean Counties and portions of Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, and Monmouth Counties. We designate viticultural areas to allow bottlers to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify the wines they may purchase. We invite comments on this proposed addition to our regulations.

This Treasury decision realigns a portion of the common boundary line between the established Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco viticultural areas in Monterey County, California. This realignment moves approximately 200 acres from the Arroyo Seco viticultural area to the Santa Lucia Highlands 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.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we invite comments on the proposed or continuing information collections listed below in this notice.

This Treasury decision establishes the San Antonio Valley viticultural area in southwestern Monterey County, California, within the existing Central Coast 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.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau proposes to rename the ``Sonoma County Green Valley'' viticultural area as the ``Green Valley of Russian River Valley'' viticultural area. The area's size and boundaries would remain unchanged. This northern California viticultural area is totally within the Russian River Valley viticultural area, the Sonoma Coast viticultural area, and the multi- county North Coast viticultural area. We designate viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of wines and to allow consumers to better identify the wines they may purchase. We invite comments on this proposed change to our regulations.

On April 4, 2006, TTB published a final rule in the Federal Register making administrative changes to its regulations due to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which divided the former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the Treasury, into two separate agencies, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Department of Justice, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in the Department of the Treasury. That final rule contained two incorrect amendatory instructions; this document corrects those errors.

In response to a request from an alcohol industry trade association, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau reopens the comment period for Notice No. 53, Use of the Word ``Pure'' or Its Variants on Labels or in Advertisements of Alcohol Beverage Products, an advance notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2005. The comment period is reopened for an additional 30 days.

This Treasury decision establishes the 38,000-acre ``Covelo'' viticultural area in northern Mendocino County, California, about 150 miles north of San Francisco. 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.

This temporary rule implements the quarterly excise tax payment procedure for small alcohol excise taxpayers contained in section 11127 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, which amended section 5061 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Before passage of this law, most Federal alcohol excise taxpayers paid the tax on a semimonthly basis. We are amending the applicable regulations on a temporary basis to incorporate the legislative change allowing quarterly payments. We also are soliciting comments from all interested parties on the implementation of this new procedure through a notice of proposed rulemaking published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). We invite comments on the continuing information collections listed below in this notice.

This Treasury decision establishes the 89,000-acre Ramona Valley viticultural area in central San Diego County, California. The proposed area is entirely within the established South Coast 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.

This Treasury decision modifies the name of the existing ``Santa Rita Hills'' American viticultural area by abbreviating its name to ``Sta. Rita Hills.'' We make this change to prevent possible confusion between wines bearing the Santa Rita Hills appellation and wines bearing the Santa Rita brand name used by a Chilean winery. The size and boundary of the existing viticultural area will remain unchanged. 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.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering amending the regulations concerning the use of the word ``pure'' on labels or in advertisements of alcohol beverage products. We wish to gather information by inviting comments from the public and industry as to whether the existing regulations should be revised.

In this temporary rule, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau amends its regulations relating to special (occupational) tax, to reflect a 3-year tax suspension effected by section 246 of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. Section 246 amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that, during the period from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2008, the rate of special (occupational) tax on certain occupations will be zero. The occupations affected by the 3- year tax suspension are: Manufacturers of nonbeverage products who claim tax drawback; proprietors of distilled spirits plants, alcohol fuel plants, bonded and taxpaid wine premises, and breweries; and wholesale and retail dealers in distilled spirits, wine, and beer. The requirements to register annually and keep prescribed records remain in effect. The text of these temporary regulations serves as the text of the proposed regulations set forth in the notice of proposed rulemaking on this subject in the Proposed Rules section of this issue of the Federal Register.

This Treasury decision establishes the 5,500-acre Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon viticultural area. It is totally within the Umpqua Valley viticultural area in Douglas County, Oregon. 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.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, and as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we invite comments on the proposed or continuing information collection listed below in this notice.

This Treasury decision expands by 30,200 acres the existing Russian River Valley viticultural area in Sonoma County, California, to a total of 126,600 acres. 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.

On August 24, 2005, TTB published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register regarding the certification requirements for imported natural wine. We also published a temporary rule on the same subject in the same issue. In that notice of proposed rulemaking, a cross reference contains an incorrect CFR section number. This document corrects that error.