Europe-USA Wine Name War Continues

[Craig Camp]

While we were all popping the cork on New Year's Eve, a dubious milestone was quietly passing: The United States and Europe wrapped up their 20th year of failed trade talks on wine. Bilateral negotiations began in 1983, under the Reagan administration.

[Boris_A]

Bilateral negotiations began in 1983, under the Reagan administration.

Now it's 2004 and the world's wine superpowers remain far apart on important issues, particularly the use of European terms like "Champagne," "port" and "sherry" on made-in-America wines.

After 20 years, this debate is about the last naming GI issues standing in wine and spirits. The GI for food is the arising controversion in naming issues (buffala di campagna, ...)

Europe bans wine made with 12 nontraditional, although harmless, methods

These are the most interesting issues for a 21 century wine debate; the alteration of wine (oak chips, adding flavours, ac ds, sugars, ...). How much is allowed to sell a bottle as 'wine' and where?

Edited January 16, 2004 by Boris_A (log)

[cdh]

While avoiding European names doesn't hurt Quady's business, Blaylock says that a separate proposal in Europe to make some bottle shapes proprietary would be disastrous. That regulation was supposed to go into effect last August, but enforcement has been postponed.

Hmmm... these negotiations will go on forever, I think.

Making bottle shapes proprietary and controlled would be a boon to creative glassblowers around world, though a huge headache to wine shops and consumers. A great way to drive up prices, though. And it would be kind of nice to see some more variety in bottle shapes than just the Bordeaux and Alsace/Germanic shapes that have become the generic containers of still wine the world over.

Get to work quick- geometry only allows a finite set of stable bottle configurations... snap them up and get them trademarked so that nobody else can use them!

[Scott]

Get to work quick- geometry only allows a finite set of stable bottle configurations... snap them up and get them trademarked so that nobody else can use them!

Chris,

as always helpful to a fault.

[cdh]

I try.