News Briefs for November 23, 2015
November 23, 2015•U.S. district judge Jeffrey T. Miller has denied a motion by Fifth Generation, parent company of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, to block a proposed class action suit over Tito’s labeling. The judge ruled that the brand’s label approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) fails to provide Tito’s with safe harbor protection, reports Law360. The November 20th decision follows a wave of lawsuits against Tito’s, with plaintiffs accusing the brand—which sells more than 2 million cases in the U.S.—of deceptive trade practices due to the use of the word “Handmade” on its label. Fifth Generation owner Tito Beveridge has vigorously contested the claims, citing the TTB’s approval of the labeling and the company’s use of a pot still batch distillation process as a defense against the suits.
•Chicago-based Hart Davis Hart Wine Co. is set to hold its first-ever three-day wine auction next month, from December 10-12. According to Hart Davis Hart, the event—which will be held at Chicago restaurant TRU—is expected to be the world’s largest wine auction of the year, featuring 3,400 lots valued at between $6.8 and $10.2 million. Top-valued offerings include 66 lots of Coche-Dury (estimated at $312,050-$463,900), 70 lots of Screaming Eagle ($262,000-$391,700) and 26 lots of Armand Rousseau ($228,350-$339,900), among others.
•Mendoza, Argentina’s Pascual Toso winery—handled in the U.S. by Guarachi Wine Partners—has appointed Felipe Stahlschmidt as its chief winemaker. Stahlschmidt joins Pascual Toso from fellow Argentine wine producer Catena, where he most recently managed the group’s Vista Flores winemaking team.
Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.Tagged : Armand Rousseau, Catena, Coche-Dury, Fifth Generation, Guarachi Wine Partners, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., Pascual Toso, Screaming Eagle, Tito's Handmade Vodka, TRU
