Napa Declaration on Place
Encyclopedia
The Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin, commonly known as the Napa Declaration on Place, is a "declaration of joint principles stating the importance of location to wine and the need to protect place names." The Declaration was signed in July 2005 by four United States
winegrowing regions and three European Union
winegrowing regions.
The signatory regions from the US were:
The signatory regions from the EU were:
All wine regions signing the declaration pledged to work together to educate consumers about the importance of place and to protect the integrity of these names worldwide. It is the first such agreement among EU and U.S. winemakers and is seen as a step toward breaking down the "Old World vs. New World" focus in wine, replacing it with one that highlights greater understanding of where wine comes from all over the world.
The list of signatories to the agreement expanded in March 2007 when Sonoma County
, Paso Robles
, Chianti Classico, Tokay
, Victoria, Australia and Western Australia
signed the Declaration at a ceremony in Washington, DC.
In addition, an invitation has been extended for winemakers from other wine-producing regions to sign onto the agreement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
winegrowing regions and three European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
winegrowing regions.
The signatory regions from the US were:
- Napa ValleyNapa Valley AVANapa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
- WashingtonWashington WineWashington wine is wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California. By 2006, the state had over of vineyards, a harvest of of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries...
- OregonOregon wineThe state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders which are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the...
- Walla Walla ValleyWalla Walla Valley AVAThe Walla Walla Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Washington State and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The area is named after the Walla Walla people who lived along the...
The signatory regions from the EU were:
- Champagne
- OportoPortoPorto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
(the region where Port winePort winePort wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
is produced) - JerezJerez de la FronteraJerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
(the region where SherrySherrySherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
is produced)
All wine regions signing the declaration pledged to work together to educate consumers about the importance of place and to protect the integrity of these names worldwide. It is the first such agreement among EU and U.S. winemakers and is seen as a step toward breaking down the "Old World vs. New World" focus in wine, replacing it with one that highlights greater understanding of where wine comes from all over the world.
The list of signatories to the agreement expanded in March 2007 when Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, Paso Robles
Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County: Its population at the 2000 census was 24,297; in 2010 it recorded some 29,793 residentsLocated on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo, California,...
, Chianti Classico, Tokay
Tokay
Tokay may refer to:* Tokaji wine , wines produced in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary* Tokaj , wine region in South-Eastern Slovakia and wines produced in that region.* Grape varieties:...
, Victoria, Australia and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
signed the Declaration at a ceremony in Washington, DC.
In addition, an invitation has been extended for winemakers from other wine-producing regions to sign onto the agreement.
Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin
The text of the declaration is as follows:- Whereas, it is generally acknowledged that there are a handful of truly extraordinary places on earth from which great wine is consistently produced.
- Whereas, the names of these places are printed on labels side-by-side with the names of the producers to identify the origin of the wine.
- Whereas, wine, more than any other beverage, is valued based on its association to its place of origin–and with good reason.
- Whereas, even before modern technology allowed us to tie specific definitions to the soils, terrain, and climates of noted wine regions, winemakers were drawn to these special places.
- Whereas, the names of these places are familiar, and synonymous with quality.
- Whereas, we respectfully submit that the place where wine is grown plays a very important role in a consumer’s selection process.
- Whereas, we are furthermore united in our belief that the geographic place names of wine regions are the sole birthright of the grapes that are grown there, and when these names appear on wines that do not contain fruit from that region, they lose their integrity and their relevance, becoming merely words.
- Therefore, be it resolved that we, as some of the world’s leading wine regions, join together in supporting efforts to maintain and protect the integrity of these place names, which are fundamental tools for consumer identification of great winegrowing regions and the wines they produce.