Aussies in EU deal to drop Champagne and Port names

Australian winemakers will no longer be able to use traditional names such as Champagne, Port or Sherry under a major deal with Europe which comes into force this week.

The country has one year to phase out the names of drinks protected under the EU labelling regime based on geographic locations. These are the rules which recognise Port’s Portuguese heritage, protect Sherry as hailing from Jerez in Spain and force winemakers outside France’s Champagne region to use a different name for sparkling wine.

Under the agreement, Australia will obtain easier access to the 27-nation European Union – a market worth £526 million (€632m) in exports for the country last year.
In addition, 117 of Australia’s geographical indicators, including Coonawarra, Barossa and Margaret River, will be protected in Europe.

“The agreement is a win-win outcome and achieves a balanced result for European and Australian winemakers,” says European agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos. “Crucially, we have obtained the commitment that Australian wine producers will phase out the use of key EU geographical indications and traditional expressions for wine. This is of utmost importance for European producers.”

The Australian wine industry has already moved away from calling sparkling wines Champagne and the government’s Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) says this has not caused a consumer backlash.
Other names Australians will no longer be allowed to use include Burgundy, Chablis, Graves, Manzanilla, Marsala, Moselle, Sauternes and White Burgundy.
It will also have to drop traditional expressions such as Amontillado, Claret and Auslese. But it will be able to continue to use certain terms for quality wines, including ‘vintage’, ‘cream’ and ‘tawny’, for wines exported to Europe and sold domestically.
AWBC said there were significant advantages for its exporters in the agreement, as producers will have to make fewer changes and concessions to sell their product in Europe.