Wall Street Journal Op-Ed: The Wine-Dark Sea of Regulation

Mira Winery Proprietor Jim “Bear” Dyke, Jr. took to the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal to discuss the federal government’s halting of the Mira’s ocean-aging experiment in Charleston S.C., which involves eight cases of Aquaoir Rutherford Cabernet – a fraction of total production.

Excerpts are below or the full Wall Street Journal Op-Ed can be found here.

 

The Wine-Dark Sea of Regulation
We aged wine at the bottom of the ocean — then the feds threatened our license

By Jim Dyke, Jr.

On May 27, our Napa Valley winery will pull eight cases of Cabernet Sauvignon out of Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. We placed them there six months ago, protected from the elements, following similar experiments in the past two years. The cold water and the tides seem to expedite the aging process, and we believe that our ocean-aged fine wine—which we’ve trademarked as Aquaoir—could revolutionize how vintners around the world think about winemaking. The only obstacle: the federal government.

For more than a year, our winery has been targeted by the Treasury Department, specifically, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The agency believes our product is unfit for human consumption, despite an utter lack of evidence, and it has threatened to revoke our winemaking license. Washington doesn’t recognize this wine for what it is: the product of entrepreneurship and experimentation.

…

When we have requested explanation and clarification, the bureau has only referred us to the Food and Drug Administration, which has been less than forthcoming. The agency also, without warning, issued a formal public advisory in March on the dangers of ocean-aged wine.

We don’t envision expanding into vast underwater wine-storage development. We simply want to try to understand the ocean-aging effects so that we can try to simulate them on dry land. It would be lamentable if brazen federal overreach blocked the potential for innovation in an industry that could be on the cusp of a true sea change. Only in Washington could you raise a glass to that.

Read the full Op-Ed here.