A Champagne by Any Other Name

Is that bottle of fancy sparkling wine a champagne, or just a bottle of fancy sparkling wine? In America, champagne is a generic term for such wines. But in the European Union (EU), champagne is a protected designation for wines grown in France’s Champagne province with specific conditions for manufacturing processes, such as grape pressing and vineyard practices. The EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) programs cover products that have “a specific geographical origin and a reputation,” including wines, food, and other agricultural products. Examples of products with PDO and PGI designation include Italian gorgonzola cheese, Dutch gouda cheese, Greek olive oils, and French thym de provence herbs. Obtaining such a registration protects against potential imitators in the EU by providing a label with the designation. The EU aims for the policies to protect “the names of specific products to promote their unique characteristics.” For PDO products “every part of the production, processing and preparation process must take place in the specific region,” whereas for PGI products “at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the region.” Through both programs, the EU intends to minimize food fraud that affects the safety of food as products move through international supply chains. This Saturday Seminar reviews several issues arising from these EU quality schemes