The northernmost town in the Napa Valley is Calistoga, equally as well known for its mud baths and natural hot springs as it is for its wine production. But there is currently a grape debate over just what the name should mean when applied to the local wine products. Bo Barrett, who had a large hand in putting Napa Valley wines on the map by winning the international wine competition in 1976 in Paris, is directly responsible for driving the local wine industry’s prosperity which today so many enjoy as a result of drinking the products and visiting first-hand during wine country tours. And Mr. Barrett believes that wines with the Calistoga name should only contain grapes which were grown in Calistoga. His conviction led him to file a petition that would afford the region the status that it deserves when putting the Calistoga name on products.
This petition - currently in process with the Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau – serves to grant Calistoga a designation as an official American Viticulture Area (AVA). If that is granted, all bottles containing the name of Calistoga would be required to be made from eighty-five percent local grapes grown within Calistoga. Two wineries have opposed the petition since their wines have been produced for some time with grapes from all over the Napa Valley and fear the impact that a name change could have on their businesses; expressing concerns that the move could potentially put them out of business. Federal regulators are considering the merits of grandfathering in those wineries which currently use the Calistoga name but don’t adhere to the eighty-five percent rule, as long as this fact was clearly evident on the label. But industry insiders feel strongly that such a compromise would be confusing in light of the standards placed on AVAs and appellation name use as is currently employed, and runs counter to the shifting standards which have been moving steadily toward providing consumers accurate and detailed insight as to the origins of the contents in their wine bottles.
