This one-credit course covers regulations in the wine industry, including regulation at the local, state, and federal levels. We cover this material with the help of outside speakers in a seminar style. Topics that are covered include regulation by the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FDA/FSMA), as it applies to grapes and wine. We have also covered land use and AVA establishment, distribution and importation, online and direct-to-consumer marketing, compliance, and crop insurance. 

The goal for this course is for students to be familiar with the regulatory environment in which the wine industry operates, to understand the current state of regulation governing the industry, and to have the resources to facilitate dealing with regulatory agencies. The class meets once a week for ten weeks during the Spring quarter. Students are required to write a summary of each lecture. The co-instructors for this course are Viticulture and Enology Department Chair David Block and the Director of Industry Relations, Karen Block. 

If you have any questions or comments, please email klblock@ucdavis.edu.