The Great CT Wine Swindle

I was surprised to receive an email from Jean Kincaid-Ross who recently helped me to get information regarding the Connecticut Farm Winery. She sent me a link to an article from The Hartford Advocate entitled The Great CT Wine Swindle?. According to the law formulated in 2004, it requires that only 25 percent of a winery's wine be made using in-state fruit. This law also gives growers seven years from the time they get their winery permit to reach that 25 percent mark. In addition, if a change of ownership occurs, a winery's 25 percent-Connecticut-grapes clock is restarted and the new owners get another seven years to meet the standard. This was something that I wasn't aware of.
What this indicates to me is that consumers of Connecticut wines must be aware of the implications of the label. So, to reiterate:

• For a Farm Winery, 25% of the grapes must come from the Farm Winery
• For the wine label to say "Connecticut", Federal law requires that 75% of the grapes must be grown in Connecticut
• For the label to read Estate grown and bottled, 100% of the grapes have to be planted on the Farm Winery property. Federal law also stipulates that when using "Estate" on the label, the farm must be in a designated AVA.