Lobbying by wine caucus is vivacious, yet earnest

Washington, DC: Under the murals on the ceiling of the Members Room in the Library of Congress, bottled treasures of a nation had been uncorked: cabernet sauvignon from Georgia, merlot from Texas, an Ohio ruby port, a North Carolina chardonnay, a Colorado pinot noir.

Lifting his glass for a toast, Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.), declared, "I've just about made it around the United States."

Radanovich is co-chairman of the Congressional Wine Caucus, composed of 11 senators and 91 House members from 28 states. The caucus was hosting a reception for the American Vintners Association, which represents the nation's wineries. "We decided to do a wine caucus because we felt that a lot of members had a desire to become educated on wine itself," said Radanovich. "And also it was a good mechanism to educate other members about the politics and policies of wine and the issues that face the wine industry."

With members ranging from Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett to Florida Republican Dan Miller, the bipartisan caucus also is a reflection of the broadening economic and political influences of the wine industry.

The nation's 2,081 commercial wineries are located in every state except Alaska and North Dakota. The number is more than double that of 20 years ago. The industry contributes more than $ 45 billion a year and 556,000 jobs to the U.S. economy.

Winemaking is expanding in Georgia, with 11 wineries in operation. There were nine in Georgia in 1990 and four in 1980.

"We have made great strides toward meeting Thomas Jefferson's original vision of a country where wine would be produced in all regions," said Simon Siegl, president of the American Vintners Association. "Only he didn't know how many regions there would be."

Wine making is "an emerging agribusiness in the South," said Jerry Douglas, vice president of the Biltmore Estates winery in Asheville, N.C.

The industry "is exploding" in the Midwest, said Donniella Winchell, president of the Ohio Wine Producers. She passed out pamphlets noting that there is an Ohio winery within a 45-minute drive of every resident of the state.

At Tuesday night's wine tasting at the Library of Congress --- one of several educational receptions planned by the caucus --- lawmakers mingled with winemakers, sampling everything from a Muscadine Blush from Mississippi to a Montana Rhubarb Wine.

"Thanks . . . for helping make us all heart-healthy," caucus co-chairman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) told the winery owners.

In addition to showcasing their wares, the producers were in Washington to lobby on some fermenting political issues.

They dislike restrictions by most states on direct Internet sales from wineries to consumers.

"It is an antiquated system that will not stand the test of time in an era of Internet commerce," said Radanovich, who owns a winery in California.

The problems evolved from a political deal cut to overturn Prohibition in the 1930s, he explained. Some states voted to stay dry. Congress let others set up a "three-tier system" of distribution that requires producers of alcoholic beverages to use wholesalers and then retailers to get their products to consumers. Each state regulates its own system.

The three-tier system is supported by the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers of America, another politically active trade association. The wholesalers argue that Internet sales of alcoholic beverages could bypass payment of state excise and sales taxes and permit purchases by underage youth.

Labeling is an issue. Winemakers want to be able to tell consumers about medical studies that show health benefits from moderate consumption. They also want federal standards to prevent, for example, a label advertising a " chardonnay-flavored" beverage that contains little chardonnay.

Labor and international trade also are big issues. Winemakers say they need temporary immigrant agriculture workers in an era of low unemployment, they want funding for research on diseases and pests, such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and to promote viniculture.

But this was an evening to be mellow rather than militant.

"Here," one winemaker said, filling the glasses of lawmakers. "Taste this."