NAPA VALLEY GAINS GEOGRAPHIC STATUS IN EUROPE

A big victory yesterday for Napa winemakers. The European Union has granted Napa Valley a Geographic Indication (GI) status that bars wine brands from using the word “Napa” on a label whose grapes did not, indeed, come from Napa. This marks the first time the EU has given GI status to a nonmember.Currently, there are two EU wine brands that use the Napa name: Clos du Napa from the UK and Varon de Napa in Spain. Nine other winemakers outside