Careful with your AVAs

[Thomas]

I suppose it is a good idea to know that when a label says the wine came from a particular appellation that it actually did, but if you believe, as you guys do, that the appellation is relatively meaningless, then what is the point at all?

Unless there is a degree of stringency such as acreage limitations or type of grape variety allowed, the appellation is truly meaningless, especially too if producers are free to treat the wine any way they desire to meet market demand.

For example, it seems to me that a hot climate "appellation" in California, or anywhere else, where producers grow Riesling is no appellation at all -- at least not for Riesling.