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TTB NEWSLETTER | Weekly News

August 28, 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

Greetings! This week’s top news includes the launch of our annual TTB satisfaction survey, the establishment of Alisos Canyon AVA, information about rules for transferring unlabeled bottles of wine between bonded wine premises, and an announcement about scheduled maintenance for our TTB Online Systems over the weekend.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS—TAKE THE TTB SATISFACTION SURVEY!

Help shape TTB services by participating in our 2020 Customer Satisfaction Survey. We want to hear about your experience with our current services and what we can do to increase your level of satisfaction.

The survey is hosted on SurveyMonkey and invites are being sent on a rolling basis.  Tell us about your experiences with TTB, and we will read every comment you provide so we can make improvements that matter to you. The survey should take less than 10 minutes, participation is voluntary, and your responses will remain anonymous.

Thank you in advance for playing a part in shaping TTB services.

ALISOS CANYON AVA ESTABLISHED

On Tuesday, August 25, 2020 we published T.D. TTB-161 in the Federal Register to establish the approximately 5,774-acre Alisos Canyon American viticultural area in Santa Barbara County, CA.  The final rule is effective on September 24, 2020. The Alisos Canyon viticultural area is located entirely within the established Central Coast viticultural area.

We are issuing this regulation in response to a petition submitted by a local wine industry member on behalf of local vineyard owners and vintners. 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.

See Docket No. TTB-2019-0007 on Regulations.gov for all documents and public comments related to this rulemaking.

TRANSFERRING UNLABELED BOTTLED WINE (SHINERS) BETWEEN TWO WINERY PREMISES

This is a reminder that neither the TTB guidance at FAQ W8 nor the TTB regulations in 27 CFR part 24 authorize the removal of unlabeled bottled wine from bonded wine premises for consumption or sale.

A bottle of wine may not be removed from bonded wine premises for consumption or sale without the label required by 27 CFR 24.257.  However, under 27 CFR 24.256, wine that is bottled or packed and stored for the purpose of aging need not have labels affixed until the wine is removed for consumption or sale.

Although the regulations do not specifically provide for this, TTB has allowed bottled wine without a label (also known as shiners) to be transferred in bond between bonded wine premises for the purposes of labeling, as long as the label is affixed to the bottle prior to removal from bonded wine premises for consumption or sale. See FAQ W8 for more information.

SYSTEM ALERT

We will be conducting both network and system maintenance this weekend:

• Saturday, August 29, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. ET
• Sunday, August 30, from 8 a.m. until 6 a.m. ET on Monday August 31

The following systems/features will be unavailable:

• COLAs Online
• Formulas Online
• Permits Online
• Public COLA Registry

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Please visit the homepage of TTB.gov for the most recent news, or visit the Contact Us page if you have any questions.