USA wine law hierarchy

Regulations regarding what grape varieties should be used, wine making practices and viticulture do not exist within any of these designations of origin. The AVA’s do have definitions but only for the geographical region including soil types and features. There is no system for regulating quality, as there is in South Africa or parts of Europe, so buying wine from an AVA does not guarantee that it will be any good. While the ‘wine of USA’ term is rarely used, it is the only origin that can be used for bulk wine exports across state/county lines as wines then lose appellation of origin status because there is no method of tracking wine origin across regions. This is to prevent passing off as wine from a region with a better reputation.

Following the repeal of Prohibition, the United States federal government allowed each state to regulate its own production and sale of alcohol. For most states, this led to the development of a three-tier distribution system between the producer, wholesaler, and consumer. Depending on the state, there are some exceptions, with wineries allowed to sell directly to consumers on site at the winery or to ship wine across state lines. Some states allow interstate sales through e-commerce. In 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States effectively ended state laws that banned interstate shipments but allowed in-state sales. This Supreme Court decision meant that states could decide to allow both out-of-state wine sales and in-state sales or ban both altogether. There are, however, still some states that operate all alcohol sales and have banned private, out of state, companies from setting up businesses or from allowing inter-state sales from operating. This is still being challenged in the courts and has been branded unconstitutional.