Sweden's state-run drinks monopoly Systembolaget has run itself into trouble for the way it labels wine produced in the Golan Heights.
Originally labelling wine made by the Israeli-owned Golan Heights Winery as 'made in Israel', Systembolaget received numerous complaints from consumers.
'Many of our customers believe that the Golan Heights do not belong to the state of Israel according to international law,' said a spokesperson for Systembolaget.
The firm then consulted the Swedish foreign ministry which proposed it change the label to read 'made in Israeli-occupied Syrian territories'.
The changed labelling then angered Israeli officials.
'Someone in Sweden is looking to damage the sales of Israeli wines,' senior Jerusalem officals told the Ynet news website.
Systembolaget now says it is considering changing the label a second time and insists it had not intended to make a political statement.
The problem centres on the Golan Heights themselves – a plateau on the border of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Originally part of Syria, the Heights were taken by Israel in the Six Day war in 1967 and The Yom Kippur war in 1973.
Israel has assumed control of the Heights since the wars, although the international community does not recognise Israel's sovereignty.
According to UN resolution 497, Israel is considered an 'occupying power' and its jurisdiction and administration of the Heights is not acknowledged by international law.
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com
It would be easy (in the west) to see this as a bit 'over the top', and paranoid, but this is a very sensitive issue and best tackled gently.
It would be against most people's opinion of Sweden to see this as a
deliberate or political insult to any or all concerned.
Why don't they label the wine as 'made in the Golan Heights'? Maggie Beale
Was Bordeaux wine a German product during the height of World War II? If one country does not recognize an occupying power as the owner of the land, one way they can show this is by denying the occupying power's name on the product. Wouldn't this be a case of a legitimate sanction against a country doing wrong? Ted Neumann
Do not call it 'Jewish occupier' or 'Arab occupied land wine'. Instead, call it what it is: 'Golan Heights' wine; a reference akin to this generous and forgiving land as opposed to its people, for they were Arabs yesterday and Jewish today and back and forth since Biblical times. JB, Canada
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
It would be easy (in the west) to see this as a bit 'over the top', and paranoid, but this is a very sensitive issue and best tackled gently.
