What American winery is allowed to use the term Champagne instead of sparkling wine?
June 16th, 2010
I remember reading about a winery that was allowed to use the term Champagne because they assisted in helping the French fight a virus that was attacking the French vines. Was I dreaming? What is the name of this vineyard?
The agreement between the EU and the US on Champagne basically says that if you used the word "Champagne" as a generic term before the law was approved (2006), you are permitted to continue using it.
Basically, you are permitted to say something like "American Champagne" or "Rocky Mountain Champagne" , but not just "Champagne" as the term "Champagne" without a modifier (true place of origin) could be confused as describing origin, not product.
Some states/appellations go even further on the regulations, not permitted the term "champagne" on any bottles coming from their region. Napa, Sonoma, Walla Walla, Willamette Valley, and Paso Robles all forbid the use of the word, even if they were grandfathered in under the national law.
I have not heard of anything relating to your specific story in any of the bubbly wineries I’ve visited here in the US nor the Champagne house I’ve visted in France. Since this law is only recent, and grandfathers in anyone pre-2006, it’s tough to believe that it’s true. Before 2006, anyone could use the term Champagne however they wanted under US law.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Champagne is the term for a region in France, and a grape from that region. In 1908, the appellation of Champagne was created through a decree that delimited an area within which the wines produced there, and only those, would be entitled to the appellation Champagne. It was also during this time period that it became clear that particular parcels of land created the best grapes and that specific techniques were necessary to create Champagne. In 1927, a law was enacted that laid down the limits of the vine growing region of Champagne, thus extending the Champagne appellation to include both grape and wine production. Strict rules were enacted at the same time relating to grape growing, the authorized pruning systems, harvesting and handling conditions in Champagne, as well as the method of natural fermentation in the bottle.
As such no winery can produce the grapes, let alone help to fight off any infection in grape crops. In fact you can find many articles on the French and the attempts to stop genetic manipulation in the vines. Even if you had the seeds you could not grow the grapes necessary as the same conditions in Alsace can not be recreated.
What you may have seen however is American wineries that have the rights to sell Champagne from France. I know of one that distributes one wineries Champagne in the US. They however, do not make it, just distribute it.
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June 16th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Never heard that one before. That sounds like something they might say on a hastily prepared Food Network or Fine Living show. I watched an episode of a show on Fine Living where they claimed that distilling alcohol began in the 14th century! Ridiculous.
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June 16th, 2010 at 11:27 am
The agreement between the EU and the US on Champagne basically says that if you used the word "Champagne" as a generic term before the law was approved (2006), you are permitted to continue using it.
Basically, you are permitted to say something like "American Champagne" or "Rocky Mountain Champagne" , but not just "Champagne" as the term "Champagne" without a modifier (true place of origin) could be confused as describing origin, not product.
Some states/appellations go even further on the regulations, not permitted the term "champagne" on any bottles coming from their region. Napa, Sonoma, Walla Walla, Willamette Valley, and Paso Robles all forbid the use of the word, even if they were grandfathered in under the national law.
I have not heard of anything relating to your specific story in any of the bubbly wineries I’ve visited here in the US nor the Champagne house I’ve visted in France. Since this law is only recent, and grandfathers in anyone pre-2006, it’s tough to believe that it’s true. Before 2006, anyone could use the term Champagne however they wanted under US law.
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June 16th, 2010 at 11:56 am
There is no US law against it, and it’s been common practice. The French, of course, guard their terroir names jealously and will threaten to sue or otherwise make a nuisance of themselves, but the main reason you see fewer American sparkling wines calling themselves "champagne" than in years past is simply that more American wineries feel they should comply in that way (and likely because American "champagnes" in years past were plonk).
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June 16th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Apparently older brands such as Korbel and Andre (owned by Gallo) were allowed under the most recent deal to keep the label "American Champagne" when shipped to other regions of the world, but no new products would be able to use the term. However, 3,200 bottles of Andre were destroyed when they went through France on their way to somewhere else because they had the Champagne label on them.
"The US agreed two years ago that its sparkling wines should be called "sparkling wines," but the law grandfathered an exception for some older brands, such as André, that are still allowed to use the word Champagne on their labels. Never mind that these are the wines that bear the least resemblance to the French ideal. The wine’s destruction was ballyhooed today by the Office of Champagne USA, established to promote the real deal while protecting its trademark name. Perhaps someone at Gallo, the company that owns and produces André, forgot about the Europeans’ sensitivity and shipped some wine with the wrong labels."
References :
http://dmwineline.typepad.com/wineline/2008/01/europe-acts-aga.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/champagne-time-for-wine-industry-as-us-and-europe-avert-trade-war-507020.html
June 16th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Korbel is an american brand and they call it Champagne.
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