I remember a couple of decades ago that many California wines (bulk and cheap ones come to mind) were labeled as "Chablis", "Burgundy", "Beaujolais" or "Gamay Beaujolais", etc.
This practice has stopped, I suspect in part due to political pressure from France (yes, the same folk who were annoyed by "Goats Do Roam").
I am interested in finding out how and why this change took place.
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... which prompts a question from myself. Such semi generic names are used to label generic wine (as detailed above) yet the details there don't really go into much detail. Both Burgundy and Claret, for instance, are labelled "generic". Surely there is more to the style than that that makes one wine in one category, and another elsewhere?
As far as I understand, it was International trade agreements that fostered the change. I'm a little foggy on the details, but I seem to remember something about the US wine market agreeing to phase out terms like 'Chablis' & 'Champagne'. I think they can still be used domesticaly, but have been dropped from export labels.
AFAIA, wines made in California can still be called Burgundy, Chablis, etc. However, the TTB (successor to the BATF) requires that these names be qualified by the addition of the appelation of origin. So what you see are things like "California Burgundy" (an oxymoron if I ever heard one). Oregon has outlawed the practice altogether and a voluntary association that most Washington State wineries belong to has also outlawed it for its members. I don't think that pressure from France had anything to do with any of this, or at least was not a major factor in what was done. For more information on labels, see
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Another item along the same lines is that the TTB has ruled that the term "Johannisberg Reisling" must cease being used starting January 1,
2006. I believe this ruling *did* come as a result of some trade agreements made with the EU.
As for the term "generic", I have always believed that it was used (in the USA, anyway) to distinguish (generally cheap) wines that were not labelled varietally from (generally) more expensive ones that were. I don't believe that the term has any legal significance. No one would call wines like Insignia, Rubicon, etc., "generic" even though they are not labelled varietally.
As always, I am not the last word on things like this and am always open to correction and/or further comments.
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le/on Mon, 23 Aug 2004 14:32:20 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
I think your language is a little tendentious here. International trade, it seems to me needs some kind of mutual respect and discipline. It's not just France which dislikes wine region names being used as if they were descriptive of a type of wine. Portugal, takes a dim view of "Port" and Madeira being treated in that way, Spain with Sherry.
Trade goes both ways, if the USA wants to export to Europe (and I'm not talking about exporting "Burgandy" or Chablees", but computer parts and programs), then it should take part in the GATT talks and respect their findings. Perhaps I'm wrong, and I most sincerely hope I am, but I sometimes get the feeling that some Americans think that USA companies should be able to do whatever they want in international trade, because they are bigger and better armed than their partners. At the moment, we're in the middle of quite a serious trade war between Europe and the USA, though it may be that your newspapers and TV news reports have failed to tell you about it.
What trade wars? Nothing in news here other than Bill O'Reilly and French Wine.(pricing still has not fallen).
Remember that since we produce virtually nothing here in USA trade wars have little effect here. Computer parts even of American Companies are made mostly in Asia and China. Boycott all you want.
I drive a Ford Expedition half the parts are from Canada and Japan. My wife drives a Mercedes. More of it is proabably of USA parts than my Ford. Go figure.
Also, I agree with you on the naming of wine regions. Even if law does not require, there should be a certain level of respect applied here. That said I really like a sparkling wine called Schraumsberg from Napa and they label it a Champaigne. I like it far more than Mumm, Chandon and Domaine Canaros that call these sparkling wines.
I drink what I like, not what they call it. I would not boycott Schraumsberg because of the name Champaigne but I do think it is wrong to label it as such.
First, they labelled it "Champagne". And second, apparently you like it, but not seem to drink it often, because you would have realized that they changed the labelling to "Sparkling Wine", although they use "Methode Champenoise" (which might be illegal in Europe, but with which designation I do not have the slightest problem):
You might like it, but not seem to drink it often, because you would have realized that they changed the labelling to "Sparkling Wine". (They use "Methode Champenoise" which might be illegal in Europe, but with which designation I do not have the slightest problem):
I was at Winery last week when in Napa....wine I bought reflects Champagne. You are correct on my spelling error.
If you say they changed the labeling I think that is a good change. They can stand on their own merrit. I think they and Roederer-Anderson Valley are the best of California sparklers.
The wines I purchased were RD's and were old. Bottles still reflect Champagne. Sorry :-)
Oh yeah...forgot to mention that Schramsberg is my favorite Cal. Sparkling wine.
What I did not say is my favorite overall sparkler is Champagne---
I love Krug NV and the Grand Siecle from Laurent Perrier. Both are Cuvee's and with differing qualities. But they are my favorite. I have had old Dom that was RD and it was outstanding...but since I cannot get RD Dom often or affordable Krug NV and Grand Siecle rule!
I had the Grand Siecle for the first time about 3 months ago. I had never seen before. Its incredible. Far more delicate that Krug with complexity that was incredible. Had both vintage and non vintage and both were OUTSTANDING!.
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