TTB Relaxes Wine Labeling Standards on Location of Alcohol by Volume Info
The Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau relaxed its requirements for listing of alcohol by volume on wine labels, dropping its mandate that the information be listed on the brand label in particular. Effective Aug. 9, alcohol by volume content information will be allowed to be listed on any label on the bottle. The final rule adopts a 2007 proposal meant to align TTB’s regulations with provisions of the World Wine Trade Group labeling agreement that only specifies the four required label elements -- country of origin, alcohol content, net contents, and product name -- be listed in the same “field of view.”
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According to the final rule, a new certificate of label approval (COLA) will not be required if the labeling change only involves moving alcohol content to a label other than the brand label. The designations “table wine” or “light wine,” which may be used instead of listing the actual alcohol content when the wine is between 7 and 14 percent alcohol by volume, must still be listed on the brand label, TTB said.