Picture this: you’re strolling down the aisle at the grocery store, and a new product catches your eye. Perhaps it features an intriguing ingredient you’ve been wanting to try, or it combines your favorite flavors in a way you’ve never seen before, or it seems like a tastier version of a snack you already know and love. You take a closer look, scan the ingredients and serving facts, and notice it had organic ingredients. . . or vegan. . . or paleo. . . and the deal is sealed. Of course you’re going to toss it in your cart; it looks delicious and it fits your lifestyle. 

Now, you’re almost finished with your shopping list, and there’s just one more section of the store to visit (you’ve saved the best for last, naturally). As your eyes scan the colorful bottles that line the wine aisle, you note some appealing options. But when you pick one up and look at the back label, there’s hardly anything to guide your selection. No serving facts, no ingredient list—when we reach the wine aisle, the opportunity to make informed decisions about the ingredients we put into our bodies becomes less straightforward.

That’s why, from the very beginning, we wanted to provide clarity through Avaline’s labeling—so you can unwind, sip, and share with confidence and ease. We were surprised to learn just how long the adult beverage industry has been hiding behind vague labels—you can actually track the lack of label transparency back to Prohibition!  

After the repeal, alcoholic beverage regulations landed in the hands of the newly created Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), so when the FDA began requiring serving facts and ingredient labels on all packaged foods, wine, beer, and liquor remained exempt. Americans have been urging the TTB for over half a century to introduce transparency in wine labeling, but large alcoholic beverage manufacturers have consistently pushed back. At least it’s an option now—before 2013, wine, beer, and spirits producers couldn’t even add serving facts if they wanted to.

Yeah, you heard that right. To put that into perspective, here are a few things you could do before 2013:

• You could wear a necktie as a belt, à la Avril Lavigne 
• You could entirely pluck out your eyebrows and then draw them back on 
• You could risk a wardrobe malfunction in ultra low-rise jeans
• You could leave the house in head-to-toe Juicy velour. . . with flip flops 
• You could dress up your boyfriend’s $2 white ribbed tank top for any occasion

...But you couldn’t find out what was in your wine glass. 

The rise in demand for transparency in the other aisles of the grocery store has made it easier than ever before to shop with confidence in our choices. But while some wine labels still seem to be stuck in the 1980s, some winemakers are catching up, prioritizing the use of organic, and sustainable techniques and ingredients. Even still, unless you spend a lot of time on winery websites, detailed information about production methods can be challenging—or impossible—to find. 

For us, it’s simple. We believe transparency is essential. We list serving facts and ingredients on every bottle, and you can find information about our winemakers and their organic farming practices on our website. So you know exactly what you’re getting—and what you’re not. 

Our wines are free from additives and synthetic pesticides and herbicides. We also make sure that sugar, calories, sulfur, and even alcohol levels are kept to a minimum, but that doesn’t mean our wines aren't delicious! Our wines are certified gluten free, non-GMO, vegan-friendly, and made with organic grapes. Basically, we're the friendliest wine in the aisle, for you and all of your friends.

Wine should be the most exciting thing on your grocery list, not a source of stress. Transparency makes it easy to know what you’re sipping, so you can feel confident about everything in your cart.