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Important New Book on American Wine Law and Public Policy

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NAPA, California, May 18, 2011

Local attorney and wine law professor Richard Mendelson has brought forth “Wine in America: Law and Policy,” the first comprehensive book on wine law and public policy in the United States.

Wine in America: Law and Policy, released on May 19th by the prestigious Aspen Publishing/Wolters Kluwer, is already being hailed as essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the intricacies of the wine business, from labeling and appellations to land use, trade practices, public health issues, and more. Congressman Mike Thompson, who co-chairs the Congressional Wine Caucus, wrote the foreword.

“This book should be studied by any student, scholar, government regulator, or policymaker who wants to better understand the trade policy and legislative and regulatory aspects of wine,” says Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and Chief Executive Officer of the influential Wine Institute.

Christopher Edley, Jr., the dean of the U.C. Berkeley Law School, praised the book as a ground-breaking examination of one of America’s most prominent success stories. “This is the first book of its kind in the U.S. covering the full range of important legal and related issues–past, present and future–of this multi-billion dollar industry. It’s a rich blend of policy, law, business and more.”

“Anyone seriously involved in wine in America needs to have this book,” says William Earle, President of the National Association of Beverage Importers and the former Assistant Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Mendelson is considered one of the leading international experts on wine law. Since 1986, he has specialized in vineyard and wine law with the law firm of Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty, which is widely regarded as the preeminent firm in the field of wine law. Mendelson’s first book on wine law, “From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America,” was honored in 2009 with the Jury Award from the Paris-based International Organization of Vine and Wine.

For his new book, Mendelson brought together an array of experts on different aspects of wine law. To write the chapter on successful business models for growing grapes and making wine, Mendelson enlisted Jim Terry, the managing partner and head of the business department at DP&F, and his DP&F colleague Erik Lawrence. For the chapter on intellectual property issues, including wine brands and appellations of origin, Mendelson turned to DP&F’s Scott Gerien, one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field. Other authors contributing to Wine in America: Law and Policy include Wendell Lee, Jim Seff and Carrie Bonnington, Margot Mendelson, Lynne Carmichael, Bill Casey and Andrew Wanger, and Jacques Audier.

Wine in America: Law and Policy is destined to become required reading in law schools and wine programs across the United States. In 2005, Mendelson established the Program on Wine Law and Policy at the U.C. Berkeley Law School. Since then, he has taught courses there on wine law and issues regarding the international trade in location-specific wines, spirits, food products and handicrafts.

For more information about the book, about excerpt material, or about DP&F, please contact: Jaymie Kilgore, DP&F, 707-261-7018.