Being able to choose from a greater variety of wines from Australia, Chile, and other countries.
By: James G. Apple, Editor-in-Chief, International
Judicial Monitor
(In celebration
of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Society of
International Law in 2006, the Society published a pamphlet titled International
Law: One Hundred Ways It Shapes Our Lives. The introduction gives an
explanation for its conception: an affirmation that: “international law not
only exists, but also penetrates much more deeply and broadly into everyday
life than the people it affects may generally appreciate.” This column seeks to
elucidate and elaborate on many of the 100 ways briefly presented in the ASIL
pamphlet.)
Any
resident of the United States who drinks a lot of wine, or even an occasional
glass, to such an extent that a trip to the local wine or grocery store is
periodically required could not fail to notice that the number of types of
wine, as well as their places of origin has increased rapidly in recent years.
In fact there has been a dramatic increase in the types and origins of wine
available to the consumer since 2002. The reason for this increase is the
signing by all major wine producing countries of the Agreement on Mutual
Acceptance of Oenological Practices which limits wine importing constraints to
health and safety considerations.
This
agreement had its origins in the formation of a group of wine-producing nations
known as the World Wine Trade Group, founded in 1998. It was made possible by
the provisions of the Marrakesh Agreement of 1994, which was the agreement
under which the World Trade Organization (WTO) was created.