New AVA: What to Know About Our Services

Interested in establishing a new AVA or petitioning for a change to an existing AVA? Here are a few things to know first about Patrick Shabram's services.

1. The analysis might not agree with your desired outcome. The analyses are objective and founded in science. Over the years, Shabram has developed a reputation as an expert on viticultural areas. He will not say or write anything that runs counter to his research and/or previous understanding.
2. Shabram will not author a petition unless a geographic study has been conducted first. About a third of his wine related projects have included a petition to the TTB, after preparing an objective study of the area. He is, however, selective in the petitions he writes. If the research does not support a new AVA (or a change to an existing AVA), enough background information has not been obtained, or for any other reason Shabram and his collaborators do not believe the petition will be successful, we will respectfully recommend against a petition and turn down any request to prepare it.
3. Getting a geographic analysis to support your petition and having petition prepared by Patrick Shabram might not be as expensive as you think…but it will likely take a lot longer than you expect. While we work to be efficient with a mindset for staying on budget, working with the TTB requires a process, and that process takes years, not months. At a minimum, expect two and half years from the start of the project to any Treasury Decision. More likely, this process will take three to four years, most of which will be waiting for the petition to work its way through the process within the TTB.

To learn more about the process, please feel free to give Patrick Shabram a call.