You May Have to Travel to France to Rosé All Day This Summer

The US government has been temporarily reopened for the next three weeks, and it's not just the aviation world that's breathing a sigh of relief.

A vital part of the process of getting rosé distributed is having labels approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) by means of a Certificate of Label Approval (COLA). However, since the bureau was not functioning throughout the shutdown, those bottles pending approval have been held at a standstill until they can be processed by the TTB. Until they're approved, they cannot be distributed. That means die-hard devotees might need to start planning a trip to France this summer in order to get their fix.

The approval process usually takes up to 36 days, which means that the 35 days of inactivity during the partial shutdown will likely lead to a significant backlog of labels waiting to be approved. An industry-wide survey shows that more than 70% of respondents were pending label approval. According to Wine Spectator, getting through backlogged labels could take months.

Naturally, the backup is going to take a toll on the industry. Most notably, rosé and imported wines require a COLA preceding distribution. That means that this summer you might just have to take a trip to, say, France to enjoy everyone's favorite summer beverage — a great excuse to hit up this wine theme park.

H/T: Wine Spectator