I'm really not in favor of more regulation, but also recognize that it's the problem
Discussion
Agree. It's about leading the way with best practices and transparent labeling. If it becomes the expected norm, no regulation is needed.
It takes customer demand and education for a bottom up approach. I think people are starting to see with this type of thing
Exactly, the experts (vintners) must educate the ignorant (wine enthusiasts) to create the demand for quality. I've pitched a label standard to many of my winemaking friends. It goes like this: 1. Honest labels - no BS fluffy story about the wine, just facts about its character, where and how it was made, 2. No barcode - that's for supermarket shit, 3. "Ingredients: Grapes" - that's it, nothing else that isn't necessary solely for vinification, 4. Include varietal(s) with %'s if it's a blend, vintage, plot/geography of origin, dryness (dry, semi-dry, etc), alc %, sugar grams/liter and acidity grams/liter - with these figures, one can know the character of a wine without even tasting it.