French appellation seeks name change
July 24, 2008
Oliver Styles

An appellation in the south of France is looking to change its name in order to avoid being associated with a uranium leak at a nuclear power station in the same region.

The Coteaux du Tricastin appellation, which neighbours Cotes du Rhone Villages, has resented its association with Tricastin Nuclear Power Centre (pictured) for some time.

Henri Bour, head of the Coteaux du Tricastin appellation, told French news website nouvelobs.com that the region has wanted to change its name 'for about ten years'.

If the project goes to plan, the appellation could change its name within a year.

'It's only a question of image,' Bour told news angency AFP. 'The idea [to change the name of the wines] is making progress and I hope it will be achieved before the 2009 harvest.'

The push for a name change follows the intense media coverage of a uranium leak at the Tricastin nuclear site earlier this this month.

On 7 July, 75kg of toxic, unenriched uranium leaked from the power station into two neighbouring rivers. Although unenriched uranium is not highly radioactive and regional authorities said risk of radiation poisoning was low, France's Nuclear Security Authority said the accident was 'unacceptable'.

'Now, it's useless for a producer to try to sell a bottle of Coteaux du Tricastin - people would laugh in their face,' said Brice Eymard, head of the economic department at the Rhone wine trade body, InterRhone.

A meeting of the administrative appellation council is set for 5 August, where members will discuss the possiblity of changing the name Tricastin to Grignan, a local village in the center of the region.

Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field I can understand the embarrassment and the desire for a namechange. But France has 59 nuclear power stations, many of which are reaching an age when leakages and faults can presumably be expected, and which might increasingly give rise to similar headlines from time to time. How many other wine growers carry an apellation that echoes the name of a local nuclear facility? Shouldn't they all be at least making plans to distance themselves, just in case? The recent leaks have prompted an immediate survey of land and water around all France's nuclear installations. This is intended to provide reassurance, and probably will do so, but it would be no surprise if it uncovered a few more missed leaks. And in this internet age, every such headline gets splashed around the world within hours. John Latusek, Haverfordwest, UK Lucky that the oil refinery is not called 'Pauillac' or 'St.Estephe'! Phil Styles, St.Gaudent, France French guys are fun: they think you change your name / add a cru classé or cru bourgeois to your name and your wines miraculously become better / less toxic / more espensive. Obviously this name change will put the Tricastin vineyards further away from the leaking nuclear plant. By a miracle, of course. Just change your name and you are ok! Bisso Atanassov, Moscow, Russia I just knew there was something special about the wines from Chinon. We always get a glow when we drink it! C B White

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