Mendocino Co. wine region designated

Governor signs bill by Mcguire

After a two year, collaborative process working with the Mendocino Winegrowers, grape growers and vintners throughout the county, state Sen. Mike McGuire’s bill creating a “Mendocino County” wine label designation was signed by Governor Newsom earlier this month.

“Mendocino wine stands out on its own, it’s some of North America’s best, and this law will be a big boost for the region. Establishing this labeling process will honor those who grow and harvest this amazing fruit and the wineries who produce this worldrenowned wine,” Mcguire said. “We held multiple outreach meetings, workshops, informational seminars and several one- on- one

get-togethers which culminated in an overwhelming vote in favor of the legislation. We are grateful to the Winegrowers for their 100 percent partnership and for Governor Newsom’s support of this legislation.”

The practice of conjunctive labeling, labeling a wine from a specific region of origin, has shown that it increases county brand recognition, increases wine sales, and raises recognition of newer industry par

ticipants across the Golden State. Starting in 1998, the California Legislature has approved conjunctive labeling laws on a bipartisan basis in several regions including Sonoma County, Napa County and Lodi among others.

“We were grateful to work with Senator McGuire on this critical initiative. This law has been a long time coming and we’re truly grateful to all of the growers and vintners who made this dream a reality. Conjunctive labeling will continue to increase the recognition of Mendocino County wine and grapes,

and help promote what we already know — Mendocino County is a premier region for world class wine,” said Bernadette Byrne, executive director of Mendocino Winegrowers, Inc.

Now law, the new “Mendocino County” designation must be included on the front or back of the wine label if the wine is either produced entirely, or within a vineyard designated within Mendocino County, on or after Jan. 1, 2023.

Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles have previously passed conjunctive labeling legislation.