Honig Winery 1st in Napa (But Not U.S.) to Use Ingredient Labels

Honig Vineyard & Winery, Rutherford, Calif., has become the first in Napa Valley to adopt ingredient labeling, starting with its 2025 Honig Sauvignon Blanc.

It may be first in Napa Valley, but it's not the first in the U.S. Among the other wineries disclosing their ingredients are Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, Calif.; Troon Vineyard, Grants Pass, Ore.; Frey Vineyards, Redwood Valley, Calif.; and Foursight Wines, Boonville, Calif.

Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau does not require ingredient labels, but the European Union does. All wine sold within the EU's borders must disclose full nutrition and ingredient information either by physical text or on-bottle QR codes.

Because many producers ship to Europe, and because consumers are increasingly inerested in finding "clean ingredients," more winemakers are moving toward adopting ingredient and nutrition labeling.

Michael Honig says,"For whatever reason, consumers feel that because they don’t understand wine, they can’t drink it, or they shouldn’t drink it. It’s not transparent enough for people. 

“It’s an opportunity to demystify wine a bit,” said Honig. “We’ve been making wine for thousands of years. It’s a pretty basic product. We’ve got three ingredients. One of them’s already on the damn label anyway,”