Wine Law

National Institute of Wine, having been amended more than 520 times, which highlights the Institute’s importance as an enforcement authority. During the self-proclaimed Revolución Argentina (1966-1973), the de facto Government issued three regulations: Law 17.499, which forbade the development of new vineyards through hybrids, all over the country, Law 18.600, which established a format for contracts of wine elaboration by the so-called “contract of elaboration by a third party” system or modality, “maquila industry” or “on the exclusive account of the vintners” and Law 18.905, in which the need to define a National Wine Policy was called for. During the last self-proclaimed National Reorganisation Process period (1976-1983), two acts were issued: a specific one, Law 22.667, also called Wine Conversion , which imposed a quota on the annual wine production, and a generic one, Law 22.802, the Law of Commercial Loyalty , which was an amendment to the goods identification system, designation of origin and advertising. Once democracy was established, in 1983, under Alfonsin’s Government, two laws were issued: Law 23.149, which established that wines under 930cc and larger than 1500cc should be bottled solely in their grape production place of origin, and Law 23.154, establishing full respect for Law 20.589, which regulates the vineyards and fruits contractors labor standards. In Menem’s Administration (1989-1999), several laws were passed:  Law 24.566, which is the generic law for alcohol, establishing the National Institute of Viticulture (in Spanish, INV) as an enforcement body;  Law 24.788, which promotes the campaign against alcohol abuse and bans any kind of alcohol expenditure to underage drinkers within the whole territory;  Law 24.940, which gave amnesty to vintners, winemakers, bottlers and others responsible for infringing Law 14.878 and its complementary regulations;  Law 25.113, which established that there must be a maquila or maquila storage contract whenever the agricultural producer is responsible for providing the producer or manufacturer with raw material having the right to participate in the end product;