TTB doesn't listen to consumers....

You will remember the small brouhaha about the Wine Institute's request to weaken US vintage dating rules a few months ago.  Well, Tuesday brought word that TTB fulfilled the Wine Institute's wishes and US wines with a vintage date can now have 15% of their contents come from another vintage.  Cyril Penn writes about it in today's San Francisco Chronicle.  Of course finding the new ruling on the TTB website has, so far, proven impossible.  Maybe one of our erstwhile readers can help direct us:-)

In short, I believe consumers lost on this one as we should be pushing for clearer labeling, not more misleading labels. 

In addition, this is an example of the way in which the US government comment system is laughable.  The vast majority of the 98 comments received by the government about this potential rule change were opposed to the change... yet they did it anyway.

Too bad.  A missed opportunity to show US wine laws are more consumer friendly than other countries and to send a clear signal that truth-in-labeling is the way forward for the industry and the country.