Napa Declaration on Place

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."^[1] 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:

• Napa Valley
• Washington
• Oregon
• Walla Walla Valley

The signatory regions from the EU were:

• Champagne
• Oporto (the region where Port wine is produced)
• Jerez (the region where Sherry 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, Paso Robles, Chianti Classico, Tokay, Victoria, Australia and Western Australia signed the Declaration at a ceremony in Washington, DC.^[2]

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:^[3]

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.

Notes

1. ^ http://www.protectplace.com/uploads/NAPA_Event_Press_Release_FINAL.pdf Napa Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin (press release)
2. ^ http://www.protectplace.com/uploads/sitecontent/March_DC_Press_Release_ABSOLUTE_FINAL.pdf Napa Declaration to Protect Wine Place and Origin (press release)
3. ^ http://www.protectplace.com/page.cfm?pageID=9

External links

• Center for Wine Origins
• Petition to Protect Wine Place & Origin