Napa secures recognition from Australia and Taiwan

The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) has announced that it has secured certification mark protection for the Napa valley wine region in both Australia and Taiwan.

It marks two more achievements in the association’s effort to protect the Napa name around the globe.

"The NVV remains vigilant in its aim to protect wine consumers throughout the world from deceptive labeling practices," commented Bruce Cakebread, 2013 president of the NVV board of directors. "Although we have not had any specific issues with misuse of the Napa name in either Australia or Taiwan, these two grants of name protection will prevent future problems for the Napa Valley wine region in both countries."

The NVV says Napa valley was the first wine region in the world to earn similar Geographic Indication (GI) status in the People’s Republic of China in 2012; the first non-European wine region to achieve GI status in the European Union in 2007; and has obtained name protection assurances from Brazil, Canada, India, Thailand, New Zealand and Norway.

The NVV's efforts to prevent consumer deception and misuse of the Napa Valley name are ongoing with a focus on major wine producing countries and significant importers of Napa Valley wine. The NVV took steps to protect the Napa name in the United States beginning in 2000 when it sponsored California's "Napa Name Law," which was subsequently upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2006.

Napa Valley Vintners is the non profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting Napa valley wine producers. It represents nearly 500 Napa Valley wineries.