Alcohol FAQs

Honey wine is classified under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (IRC), as an "agricultural wine." Agricultural wine is made from the fermentation of an agricultural product other than the juice of fruit. (See 27 CFR 24.200 and 24.203.) The production standards under 27 CFR part 24 for honey wine apply only to domestic products.

The IRC does not allow for the use of coloring or flavoring materials (other than hops) in standard honey wine. (See 26 U.S.C. 5387 and HW14 for more information.) Furthermore, wine spirits may not be added to standard honey wine, and standard honey wine may not contain more than 14 percent alcohol by volume. The IRC does provide for the production of wine specialty products that are made from a base of honey wine. These products are not standard agricultural wines, but are instead classified under the IRC regulations as "other than standard" (OTS) wines. (See 27 CFR 24.218.)

Under the regulations implementing the labeling provisions of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act), the standards of identity for wine made from the fermentation of agricultural products other than fruit are set forth in 27 CFR 4.21(f). Pursuant to these regulations, a product designated as "honey wine" must be derived wholly (except for sugar, water, or added alcohol) from honey. Wines designated as "honey wine" under 27 CFR part 4 also may contain hops, consistent with the levels set forth in part 24. TTB allows the designation "mead" to be used in lieu of "honey wine." (See HW6.)

Certain wines fermented from honey that do not meet the standards of identity under § 4.21(f) fall under the standards set forth in 27 CFR 4.21(h), and thus must be designated as "imitation" or "other than standard" (OTS) wines. Other specialty products do not fall under any of the standards of identity in part 4 and must be designated with a truthful and adequate statement of composition. (See 27 CFR 4.34(a).)

The FAA Act generally requires that a bottler obtain a certificate of label approval (COLA) from TTB prior to bottling wine. A bottler may obtain a certificate of exemption from label approval from TTB upon establishing that the wine will not be sold, shipped, or otherwise introduced in interstate or foreign commerce. Importers are required to obtain a COLA from TTB prior to removing wine in containers from customs custody for consumption.

The FAA Act and its implementing regulations do not apply to wine that contains less than 7 percent alcohol by volume; thus mead with an alcohol content of less than 7 percent alcohol by volume is not subject to the COLA requirement. However, please note that all wine removed from wine premises is subject to TTB wine labeling requirements contained in 27 CFR 24.257 (or 27 CFR 24.259 for containers larger than 4 liters). (See HW4 and HW5 for more information about the labeling of these wines.)

Yes. While a TTB COLA is not required for wines containing less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, such wines must comply with applicable FDA food labeling requirements, including ingredient labeling, nutrient labeling, and allergen labeling requirements.

Yes. All alcohol beverages containing 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume must be labeled with the health warning statement required by 27 U.S.C. 215 and 27 CFR part 16.

For labeling purposes, it is TTB's policy to allow either the term "honey wine" or "mead" as the designation for honey wine that complies with the standards of identity for honey wine set forth in 27 CFR 4.21(f). Furthermore, the terms may be used interchangeably as part of a statement of composition for a wine specialty product (for example, "honey wine with natural cherry flavor" or "mead with natural cherry flavor").

The label must meet the requirements of 27 CFR parts 4 and 16. This includes, but is not limited to, the following mandatory information on the label:

• Brand name;
• Class or type designation;
• Name and address of the bottler or importer, as applicable;
• Net contents of the container;
• Alcohol content;
• Sulfite statement, if applicable (Contains Sulfites); and
• Health Warning Statement.

Other labeling statements may be required, in accordance with 27 CFR 4.32. Furthermore, all wines containing at least 0.5 percent alcohol by volume must be labeled and marked in accordance with IRC requirements in 27 CFR part 24 (for domestic wines), 27 CFR part 26 (for wines coming into the United States from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands) or 27 CFR part 27 (for imported wines).

A wine fermented from more than one agricultural product (for example, a wine that is fermented from both honey and rhubarb) may not be designated as "honey wine" or "mead" under TTB regulations. Instead, the wine must be designated with a truthful and adequate statement of composition, such as "rhubarb-honey wine" or "rhubarb mead." (See 27 CFR 4.21(f)(6).)

A wine fermented from both fruit juice and an agricultural product does not fall within any of the standards of identity in 27 CFR part 4. This type of wine must be designated with a truthful and adequate statement of composition in accordance with 27 CFR 4.34, such as "cherry-honey wine" or "cherry mead." The wine also may be labeled with a distinctive or fanciful name, such as "Cherry bee."

This product does not fall under any of the standards of identity in 27 CFR part 4, and thus must be labeled with a truthful and adequate statement of composition, such as "blueberry wine – honey wine," "blueberry wine and honey wine" or "blueberry wine – mead." In this instance, TTB would not approve a label with the term "blueberry mead" as either a fanciful name or as a designation because it would be misleading as to the identity of the wine.

Yes. An effervescent wine is a wine that contains more than 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters. (See 27 CFR 24.10.) Under 27 CFR 4.21(f)(6) and 27 CFR 24.257, effervescent honey wine must be labeled as "sparkling" or "carbonated," as appropriate. (See HW12 for more information.)

A "sparkling wine" is made effervescent (containing more than 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters of wine) by carbon dioxide resulting solely from the secondary fermentation of the wine within a closed container, tank or bottle. A sparkling honey wine must be labeled either as "sparkling mead" or "sparkling honey wine." A wine made effervescent in any other way (such as injection of carbon dioxide) is considered artificially carbonated, and must be labeled as "carbonated" (for example, "carbonated mead" or "carbonated honey wine").

Under the IRC, sparkling and artificially carbonated wines are subject to higher rates of tax than still wine. (See HW22 and HW23 for more information about the tax rates).

If you add coloring or flavoring materials (other than hops) to honey wine, the product is no longer a standard agricultural wine under the IRC. (See 26 U.S.C. 5387(b) and 27 CFR 24.200.) Furthermore, the product is no longer a "honey wine" under the FAA Act labeling regulations. However, you may produce a wine specialty product by adding flavoring and coloring materials to a base of honey wine. Because the product does not fall under any of the standards of identity set out in 27 CFR part 4, it must be designated with a truthful and adequate statement of composition, such as "honey wine with natural ginger flavor" or "mead with natural cherry flavor." The wine also may be labeled with a distinctive or fanciful name (such as "cherry honey delight"). In this case, TTB would not approve a label with a term such as "cherry mead" as either a fanciful name or a designation because it would be misleading as to the identity of the wine. However, a name such as "cherry-flavored mead" would be acceptable as the fanciful name, as long as an appropriate statement of composition appears as the designation.

TTB regulations at 27 CFR 4.25 permit wine (including an agricultural wine that falls under the standards of identity in 27 CFR 4.21(f)) to be labeled with an appellation of origin such as a country, State or county, assuming that certain conditions are met. However, only grape wine may be labeled with an appellation that is a viticultural area.

Yes, TTB's standards of fill apply to mead and all other wine products that contain 7 percent or more alcohol by volume.  Producers, importers, and wholesalers are prohibited from selling or shipping, or delivering for sale or shipment, or otherwise introducing in interstate commerce, wine that is not bottled or packed in container sizes that are authorized as a standard of fill. (See 27 CFR 4.70.)

An authorized standard of fill for wine is 355 milliliters (mL), which is the equivalent metric volume of twelve fluid ounces (12 fl. oz.). (See 27 CFR 4.72.)  If you sell wine that contains 7 percent or more alcohol by volume in twelve fluid ounce containers, the label must state the net contents as “355 mL.”  The statement “355 mL (12 fl. oz.)” also would be acceptable.  (See 27 CFR 4.37.)

In addition, wine may be packed in kegs as long as the keg conforms to one of the standards of fill. However, wine packed in containers of 18 liters or more does not need to comply with standards of fill requirements. (See 27 CFR 4.70(b)(2).)

If wine contains less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, the standards of fill in 27 CFR part 4 do not apply.

Updated as of August 2, 2022:  This FAQ was updated to reflect regulatory amendments issued under T.D. TTB-165.

TTB regulations at 27 CFR 24.203 state that the following may be added in the production of standard honey wine:

• Water to facilitate fermentation, provided the density of the honey and water mixture is not reduced below 13 degrees Brix;
• Hops in quantities not to exceed one pound for each 1,000 pounds of honey; and
• Pure, dry sugar or honey for sweetening. Sugar may be added only after fermentation is completed.

After complete fermentation or complete fermentation and sweetening, the wine may not have an alcohol content of more than 14 percent by volume or a total solids content that exceeds 35 degrees Brix.

All domestically produced agricultural wines, including honey wine, are subject to the formula requirements in 27 CFR 24.201. However, in TTB Ruling 2016-2 TTB approved general-use formulas for certain standard agricultural wines made from honey, dried fruit, or certain other agricultural products listed in the ruling and produced in accordance with the standards set forth in 27 CFR 24, subpart I. As a result, a person producing honey wine in accordance with 27 CFR §§ 24.200 and 24.203 is granted approval of a general-use formula and does not need to submit a formula to TTB. As provided in § 24.200, standard agricultural honey wine may not be colored or flavored (except that hops may be used as outlined in § 24.203), may not contain added spirits, and may not consist of wine made from one agricultural product that is blended with wine made from another agricultural product. Section 24.203 contains limitations on the use of sugar and water in the production of standard honey wine. Producers of honey wines that are not made in accordance with these regulatory standards must still submit a formula to TTB. Please see TTB Ruling 2016-2 for additional information.

If you wish to add coloring or flavoring materials (other than hops) to a honey wine base, or if you wish to blend honey wine with other wine, you must first obtain approval of a formula for an "other than standard" (OTS) wine under the IRC. (See 27 CFR 24.218.) (Also see HW10 and HW14 for information about the labeling of such products.)

Although TTB's FAA Act wine labeling regulations in 27 CFR part 4 do not apply to wine that contains less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, IRC labeling requirements and TTB regulations at 27 CFR 24.257 apply to all wines removed from wine premises. Under TTB regulations, labels must include the following information:

• Name and address of the wine premises;
• Brand name;
• Alcohol content;
• Net contents of the container; and
• Kind of wine, which means –
  • Class or type in accordance with part 4; or
  • An adequate statement of composition for wines not subject to part 4. Statements of composition must include enough information to identify the tax class when viewed with the alcohol content.

Containers larger than 4 liters removed from the winery for consumption or sale must be labeled with this information as required by 27 CFR 24.259. The required information may be cut, printed, or otherwise legibly and durably marked upon the container or placed on a label or tag securely affixed to the container.

Yes. If you are producing wine (including mead) that is at least 0.5 percent alcohol by volume for commercial purposes, you must first establish winery premises, obtain a bond, and receive permission from TTB to operate. (See 27 CFR part 24, subpart D.) In addition, the FAA Act requires that anyone wishing to engage in the business of producing or blending wine (including mead) that contains not less than 7 percent alcohol by volume must first obtain a basic permit from TTB. (See 27 CFR part 1.) A basic permit under the FAA Act is not required for producers who only make wine that is less than 7 percent alcohol by volume. For more information on qualification requirements, see https://www.ttb.gov/wine/federal-application-process.

For more information, see Tax and Fee Rates.

A "sparkling wine" is made effervescent (containing more than 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters of wine) by carbon dioxide resulting solely from the secondary fermentation of the wine within a closed container, tank or bottle. A wine made effervescent in any other way (such as injection of carbon dioxide) is considered artificially carbonated. (See HW11 and HW12 for information about the labeling of these products.)

If you import honey wine (mead) that contains not less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, you must:

• Obtain an Importer's Basic Permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act;
• Submit a pre-import letter (or formula) in accordance with Industry Circular 2007-4;
• Obtain a certificate of label approval;
• Label the wine in accordance with 27 CFR part 4;
• Label the wine with the health warning statement required by 27 CFR part 16;
• Pay the appropriate wine excise tax rate for the wine (see HW22).

If you also import wine (including mead) that is at least 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and less than 7 percent alcohol by volume, the following requirements apply:

• Label the wine in accordance with all applicable FDA food labeling requirements;
• Label the wine with the Health Warning Statement required by 27 CFR part 16;
• Pay the appropriate excise tax rate (see HW 22);
• Label the wine in accordance with 27 CFR part 27.

You do not need to obtain an Importer's Basic Permit if you import only wine that contains less than 7 percent alcohol by volume. Additional information regarding the importation of alcohol beverages into the U.S. may be found on the International Affairs Division webpage.

No. TTB regulations at 27 CFR 25.23 do not permit the production of wine (including mead) on brewery premises. However, brewers may apply to TTB for permission to alternate the use of a portion of the brewery with a winery premises as outlined in 27 CFR 25.81.

No. Under Federal law and TTB regulations, the blending of wine (including mead) and beer is not an authorized operation at a winery (see 27 CFR 24.101) or a brewery (see 27 CFR 25.23). Under TTB regulations, beer must be brewed from malt or from a substitute for malt. However, a brewer may use honey as an adjunct in the fermentation of beer on brewery premises, subject to the regulations in part 25. (See 27 CFR 25.15(a).)

No. Because "mead" is viewed as a synonym for "honey wine," it is TTB's position that the term may not be used as a designation for a malt beverage. The term "braggot" may be used as additional information on the label of such a product, but it would not suffice as the designation by itself. (See TTB Ruling 2015-1 for more information about the appropriate designation of malt beverages made with honey.)