Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 215 / Wednesday, November 10, 2021 / Rules and Regulations viticultural area is located entirely within the existing Willamette Valley viticultural area. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.
DATES: This final rule is effective December 10, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen A. Thornton, Regulations and Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW, Box 12, Washington, DC 20005;
phone 2024531039, ext. 175.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background on Viticultural Areas
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES

TTB Authority Section 105e of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act FAA Act, 27
U.S.C. 205e, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, and malt beverages. The FAA Act provides that these regulations should, among other things, prohibit consumer deception and the use of misleading statements on labels and ensure that labels provide the consumer with adequate information as to the identity and quality of the product. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau TTB administers the FAA Act pursuant to section 1111d of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, codified at 6 U.S.C. 531d. The Secretary has delegated the functions and duties in the administration and enforcement of these provisions to the TTB Administrator through Treasury Order 12001.
Part 4 of the TTB regulations 27 CFR
part 4 authorizes TTB to establish definitive viticultural areas and regulate the use of their names as appellations of origin on wine labels and in wine advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB
regulations 27 CFR part 9 sets forth standards for the preparation and submission to TTB of petitions for the establishment or modification of American viticultural areas AVAs and lists the approved AVAs.
Definition Section 4.25e1i of the TTB
regulations 27 CFR 4.25e1i defines a viticultural area for American wine as a delimited grape-growing region having distinguishing features, as described in part 9 of the regulations, and a name and a delineated boundary, as established in part 9 of the regulations.
These designations allow vintners and consumers to attribute a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic of a wine made from grapes grown in an area
VerDate Sep<11>2014

15:55 Nov 09, 2021

Jkt 256001

to the wines geographic origin. The establishment of AVAs allows vintners to describe more accurately the origin of their wines to consumers and helps consumers to identify wines they may purchase. Establishment of an AVA is neither an approval nor an endorsement by TTB of the wine produced in that area.
Requirements Section 4.25e2 of the TTB
regulations 27 CFR 4.25e2 outlines the procedure for proposing an AVA
and provides that any interested party may petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as an AVA. Section 9.12
of the TTB regulations 27 CFR 9.12
prescribes standards for petitions for the establishment or modification of AVAs.
Petitions to establish an AVA must include the following:
Evidence that the area within the proposed AVA boundary is nationally or locally known by the AVA name specified in the petition;
An explanation of the basis for defining the boundary of the proposed AVA;
A narrative description of the features of the proposed AVA affecting viticulture, such as climate, geology, soils, physical features, and elevation, that make the proposed AVA distinctive and distinguish it from adjacent areas outside the proposed AVA boundary;
If the proposed AVA is to be established within, or overlapping, an existing AVA, an explanation that both identifies the attributes of the proposed AVA that are consistent with the existing AVA and explains how the proposed AVA is sufficiently distinct from the existing AVA and therefore appropriate for separate recognition;
The appropriate United States Geological Survey USGS maps showing the location of the proposed AVA, with the boundary of the proposed AVA clearly drawn thereon;
and A detailed narrative description of the proposed AVA boundary based on USGS map markings.
Lower Long Tom Petition TTB received a petition from Dieter Boehm, owner of High Pass Vineyard and Winery, proposing the establishment of the Lower Long Tom AVA. The proposed AVA is located in portions of Lane and Benton Counties, Oregon, and lies entirely within the established Willamette Valley AVA 27
CFR 9.90 and does not overlap any other existing or proposed AVA. Within the approximately 25,000-acre proposed AVA, there are 22 commercial vineyards which cover a total of approximately
PO 00000

Frm 00015

Fmt 4700

Sfmt 4700

62479

492 acres, as well as 10 wineries. The distinguishing features of the proposed Lower Long Tom AVA are its topography, soils, and climate.
The proposed Lower Long Tom AVA
takes its name from the Long Tom River, which runs along the eastern boundary of the proposed AVA. The proposed AVA is located along the lower, or downstream, portion of the river, between Fern Ridge Lake and the Willamette River. The topography of the proposed AVA is characterized by chains of rolling hills separated by westeast trending valleys that were cut by the tributaries of the Long Tom River.
Elevations range from approximately 1,000 feet along ridgelines on the western edge of the proposed AVA
boundary to approximately 550 feet before dropping to the Willamette Valley floor. The steepest slope angles are about 45 percent, with the average slope angle being about 20 percent. To the west of the proposed Lower Long Tom AVA are the high, rugged elevations of the Coast Range, which rise to over 3,000 feet. East of the proposed AVA are the lower, flatter elevations of the Willamette Valley floor. South of the proposed AVA are Fern Ridge Lake, the watershed of the upper Long Tom River, and a series of hills with lower elevations than are found in the proposed AVA. To the north of the proposed AVA, the elevations descend to the floor of the Willamette Valley.
The most common soils in the proposed AVA are Bellpine and Bellpine/Jory complex. Bellpine soil is derived from decomposed sedimentary marine uplift over a sandstone or siltstone substrate. These soils are relatively shallow and well-drained.
The Bellpine/Jory complex combines sedimentary and volcanic components and has a slightly greater depth and water-holding capacity than the Bellpine soils. Soils north of the proposed Lower Long Tom River AVA
are primarily Jory soils. To the east of the proposed AVA, soils are described as deep alluvial river bottom soils.
South of the proposed AVA, the soils are mostly Bellpine, as are found in the proposed AVA, but without the Bellpine/Jory complex. The predominate soils west of the proposed AVA are from the Witzel and Ritner series, which are both derived from decomposed igneous and contain varying amounts of rocks and cobbles.
Prairie Mountain, a tall mountain in the Coast Range due west of the proposed AVA, blocks cool Pacific air from entering the proposed Lower Long Tom AVA. Instead, the marine air flows into the regions to the north and south
E:FRFM10NOR1.SGM

10NOR1