Comment 3: Fred Schwartz (Fred & Company)

I am writing in support of the proposed Moon Mountain District AVA. The viticultural reasons for establishing the AVA are abundant and compelling. But there is also a marketing imperative for doing so. In terms of labeling, it is confusing if not misleading to describe wines grown at elevations approaching 2,500 feet as “valley” wines. This is now the case as Moon Mountain falls within the Sonoma Valley AVA. The new AVA will also sharpen the district’s marketing efforts. Because Moon Mountain wineries are more remote than those on the valley floor, they receive less traffic and thus have fewer opportunities to showcase themselves. The new AVA will unify its vintner- and grower-members so they can focus their message and support it as one. I look forward to the day when Moon Mountain can hold a tasting of its wines, as Howell Mountain has done so well for so many years. It will be a revelation.