The European Union's new wine regulations have come into force, ushering in a new era for the European wine industry.
[Correction In this article we say 'The French AOC becomes AOP', implying that AOC is going to disappear. That is not the case. AOP is a protection granted at the European level to a wide range of consumable products; it reforms some of the barriers formerly imposed by AOC, without replacing it. A producer who is unable to get an AOP will lose its AOC, but it is possible to be both AOC and AOP.]
The hotly-debated plans - agreed by agriculture ministers in December 2007 - aim to modernise the European wine trade and improve its competitiveness in the face of a growing challenge from the New World.
The reform will also bring in new simpler labelling laws. From August 1, all wine labels are now allowed to mention grape variety and vintage on the label. The French AOC becomes AOP (Appellation d'Origin Protegée) and the equivalent of vin de pays wines will now be known as IGPs (Indication Geographique Protegée). [see correction above]
A voluntary, three-year grubbing-up scheme to encourage uncompetitive producers to leave the industry will be put in place. Subsidies for crisis distillation will also be phased out as an added measure to reduce overproduction.
Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: 'Member States and producers have a great opportunity to make the best use of the new wine regime to build on Europe's international reputation for excellence. I truly believe this marks a turning point in our wine sector's history.' (To read Mariann Fischer Boel's column on the new EU laws see this month's issue of Decanter magazine. Subscribe here)
The money used to fund distillation subsidies will be redirected to wine promotion and the modernisation of vineyards and cellars.
The New World has seen its share of global wine sales rise from 3% in 1990 to 30% in 2008, according to the OIV.
An in-depth article explaining the new EU legislation features in this month's Decanter magazine.
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com
My first curmudgeonly reaction to the news that European winemakers are now free to print the names of the grape variety on their labels was to greet it with a yawn.
Let's be clear. All that's happening is a long-overdue tidying-up of an untidy mess. Prior to the new rules, producers in some regions happily declared their varieties with impunity (think of all that Sauvignon Blanc de Bordeaux) while their neighbours down the road were banned from doing so. Worse still, winemakers who steadfastly supported the law in Europe, hypocritically ignored it completely when they came to sell their wine in countries where European laws did not apply. So American wine drinkers were offered Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Merlot, but their UK counterparts were not.
The one valuable aspect of this particular part of the reform is that it serves as a reminder to producers that their customers are people with whom it is sometimes worth communicating. No one is forcing anyone to change a single label. All that is happening is that a winemaker is now free to help a wine buyer make a more informed choice.
Which, now I come to think of it, is worth rather more than a yawn. Actually a small glass of Champagne (with a small label reference to the fact that it's a Blanc de Noirs, Pinot Noir perhaps), might be more appropriate.
Robert Joseph, London
Your reporter, Rebecca Gibb, writes: "[...] The French AOC becomes AOP (Appellation d'Origin Protegée) and the equivalent of vin de pays wines will now be known as IGPs (Indication Geographique Protegée)."
When, if ever, will English-speaking wine journalists get the hang of "wine French"? Is it REALLY too much trouble to verify the spelling of, for example, "Appellation d'Origine Protégée" and "Indication Géographique Protégée"? I mean, if you're going to bother to insert ONE "accent aigu", why not insert the others as well? Are they rationed? And, of course, "origine" has an "e" at the end (they're quite willful, you know, those French people: they actually dare to have their own way of spelling words)...
Does this indicate simple amateurish carelessness on the part of the Decanter Online editors and reporters, or does it indicate an attitude of British cultural superiority/indifference ("Who cares how French wine terminology is spelt, anyway?")? Or perhaps inverted snobbery? Cynical populism? (along the lines of: "Most punters have little or no idea of French wine terminology, so it's better if we don't try TOO hard to get it right, otherwise they might think we're a bit snooty"...).
Decanter (the printed magazine, at least) presents itself as a reliably solid bastion of knowledge and seriousness when it comes to wine in general (which, thanks to outstandingly well-informed and wonderfully literate contributors such as Andrew Jefford, it definitely is most of the time), and I believe the same should apply all the way down to the brief snippets of news on your website.
I feel it's in some sense the duty of a serious wine magazine to observe, maintain and defend standards - and, in the world of wine, that obviously includes - begins with? - solid, accurate knowledge of wine terminology in the major European languages.
At least - for what little it may be worth - that's what I believe.
Dr Gregory Sims, Berlin
Is there a doctor in the house?
Come on, Gregory. You must be joking. So they missed and "accent aigu." Big deal. I'm sure we're all impressed by your PhD - this IS, of course, why you just HAD to mention it, right? Generally, to my knowledge, well-meant editorial critiques of grammar and spelling are best sent to the editor privately. You cannot seriously believe that there is a hidden conspiracy at work here in this simple type-o; if you do, I would seriously call into question both the legitimacy of your fabled PhD and the accreditation of the institution by whom it was supposedly awarded. They must be giving those things away these days...
(I should also mention that you failed to italicise "accent aigu" in your self-highlighting diatribe which, to my knowledge, is the accepted way of properly printing foreign words in their original language. Get your own ducks in a row before you try to publicly belittle others, dude...man...sir)
As for the news itself, I must say that I'm not too excited about it. If you're too lazy to look up what grape they use in a European wine region, then you probably can't tell the difference anyway. Also, how does Sangiovese/Canaiolo/Colorino on the label help a drinker of Vino Nobile? Or Corvina/Rondinella/Molinara drinkers of Amarone? Get real kids. Should a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (sorry Gregory - can I call you Greg? - I can't figure out how to do accent marks on this keyboard, which happens to be a foreign one) say Grenache/Carignan/Mourvedre/Cinsault/Picpoul/Clairette? Or should they all adopt the Californian model of LYING about the grape varitey? Should a wine that has 20% Syrah REALLY be labelled as Pinot Noir? Give me a break.
I congratulate the EU on yet another successful attempt at dumbing things down for the average idiot. It is exactly this totally ignorant type of thing that will make me support another NO vote in the next Lisbon referrendum.
David Marra, Ireland
Whatever your accent, you ought to be glad that varietals can appear on EU labels. If it's too much for the front label, then put on a back label and tell me your PN is actually 20% Shiraz (Burgundy extends to the Midi, if you will). The New World routinely does this, and it helps me choose between pinard and plonk. I can happily dispense with the"harvested by the light of the full moon" nonsense, and I doubt I can distinguish between old Slavonian oak and Tronchais after the second sip, but the varietals matter.
Lewis C Taishoff, New York
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