estategrown

Estate-grown, often written as estate-grown or estate grown, is a labeling term used primarily in viticulture and winemaking to indicate that the grapes used to produce a wine come from the winery’s own estate or its owned vineyards. The term is intended to signal a level of control over both grape growing and wine production on a single property.

In practice, estate-grown can emphasize traceability, consistency, and a sense of terroir associated with a specific estate. It is frequently paired with related concepts such as estate bottled, which in many jurisdictions has a formal regulatory definition. In the United States, estate bottled is a legally defined label claim requiring the wine to be produced and bottled at the winery, with a substantial portion of the grapes grown on the winery’s own estate or within its bonded premises. Estate-grown, by contrast, is often a brand or marketing claim and may vary in its specific criteria from producer to producer. In other countries, regulatory rules about equivalent terms can differ and may impose stricter definitions for labeling claims.

Criticism of the term notes that it can be misleading if the estate’s grape sources are not clearly delineated or if the estate property is extensive and includes multiple non-estate vineyards. Proponents argue that estate-grown provides consumers with assurance of vertical integration and estate-level quality control.

See also: estate bottling, terroir, winery, viticulture.