WASHINGTON – The Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) today announced that the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, Michigan; Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail, Michigan; and Virginia Wineries Association have joined its global coalition to protect wine place names and eliminate all barriers to trade in wine. The Alliance will formally welcome its new members at a reception and signing ceremony in Washington, DC this evening.
Since 2005, the Alliance has worked to increase worldwide attention to the protection of wine place names and has called for the elimination of all tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in wine, including the lack of protection for wine region names around the world. Wine Origins Alliance members represent nearly 90,000 wineries and grape growers that have generated more than one million jobs and more than $8 billion in global wine exports. With the addition of the three new U.S.-based members, the Alliance now has 36 member regions, spanning North America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia.
“The Alliance is excited to grow even stronger with the addition of Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula and Virginia,” said Charles Goemaere, Director General of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne and co-chair and founding member of the Wine Origins Alliance. “We are delighted to work together to reach our goals alongside these organizations and their extraordinary wines.”
Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula and Virginia join this organization as it approaches 20 years of advocacy. In 2018, WOA championed bipartisan congressional resolutions in the House and Senate (H. Res. 766 and S. Res. 649) that recognized the uniqueness of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), the contributions of wine regions and the value of their names. WOA also holds observer status at the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) and actively participates in discussions on matters of importance to the global wine industry.
About WOA’s Newest Members:
Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, Michigan
“Known for its quaint towns, crystal clear lakes and streams, and rolling terrain, the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail has wines like no other,” said Geoff Hamelin, Board President of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail. “We look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Wine Origins Alliance and supporting its mission to protect the integrity of wine region names worldwide.”
Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan
“Old Mission Peninsula has a distinctive and cool microclimate that allows for the production of a variety of whites, reds, sparkling and dessert wines that cannot be replicated elsewhere,” said Marie-Chantal Dalese, President & CEO of Chateau Chantal and Secretary of the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail. “We are excited to join the Alliance and its efforts to make clear that when it comes to wine, location matters.”
Virginia Wineries Association
“Home to more than 28 grape varietals, 10 regions, and 8 distinct AVAs across our commonwealth, the Virginia Wineries Association understands the importance of protecting wine place names,” said Christina Sandridge, Executive Director of the Virginia Wineries Association. “We are proud to come together alongside our colleagues from around the world to support the important mission of WOA.”
For more information about the Wine Origins Alliance, visit www.origins.wine or watch our “Location Matters” video here.
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