By Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/OregonLive

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References to Oregon wine regions ruled in violation of federal regulations. (Oregon Winegrowers Association)

California winery Copper Cane has been ordered by the federal government to change the labels on its Elouan wines, which are made in California but labeled as Oregon wines and sold as such by retailers.

Over the past three months, the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has required Copper Cane producer Joe Wagner to stop using a series of federally approved wine labels for his line of Elouan wines.

Several of the nine surrendered labels belong to wines from older vintages that are no longer in the production supply line. The 2017 Elouan Oregon pinot noir is a different matter. According to federal numbers, approximately 75,000 cases of this particular wine are still in the marketplace, and they all have back labels that violate state and federal labeling regulations.

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Elouan Oregon pinot noir. (Michael Alberty)

Michael Alberty | Special to The Oregonian

Wineries are forbidden from referring to specific Oregon winegrowing regions on their labels and marketing materials if the grapes are trucked from Oregon to California for production. All such wines are limited to using the word “Oregon” to describe their point of origin.

But the 2017 Elouan Oregon’s back labels refer to specific Oregon winegrowing regions, such as the Rogue, Umpqua and Willamette Valley American Viticultural Areas, in violation of the federal bureau’s regulations.

Oregon State Rep. David Gomberg, who took the issue to the state Legislature this fall, praised the bureau's actions.

“This is consumer fraud, pure and simple, and I am glad the federal agency has caught it,” Gomberg said.

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References like "purely Oregon" and "three diverse valleys" will no longer be allowed. (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)

In a controversial move, the bureau will allow Copper Cane to sell the bottles of 2017 Eloaun Oregon pinot noir that remain in distribution warehouses or on store shelves.

“While I applaud the TTB for taking action against these deceptive labels, they should reverse their decision allowing nearly 900,000 more wine bottles to be sold into the market,” Gomberg said. “These wines could be in the marketplace for another three years, during which time they could damage the reputation of our AVAs.”

As of publication, attempts to contact Copper Cane representatives for comment have been unsuccessful.

“I am hoping we learn something soon from the product integrity audits the TTB is conducting at the various plants that manufacture these wines,” Gomberg said. “If these wines have any California grape additives, they should be recalled, and ‘Oregon’ removed from their labels.”

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Rep. David Gomberg. (Michael Alberty)

Michael Alberty | Special to The Oregonian

Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

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