Champagne enjoys protected name status as a PDO
Credit: Photo by Tristan Gassert on Unsplash
(Image credit: Photo by Tristan Gassert on Unsplash)

An ice cream flavour described as ‘Champagne sorbet’ and briefly sold by Aldi Süd in Germany several years ago could have been misleading for consumers, according to the Munich Higher Regional Court.

Even though Aldi no longer sells the product, German newspaper Die Welt said judges in Munich have published a new ruling.

Champagne enjoys protected name status under EU law, and the French region’s Comité Champagne has a track record of vigorously defending producers against possible infringements all around the world.

The long-running ‘Champagne sorbet’ case was heard by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2017.

According to ECJ documents, it concerns an ice cream briefly sold by Aldi at the end of 2012 and named ‘Champagner Sorbet’. It contained around 12% Champagne among its ingredients, the ECJ said.

While it left German courts to ultimately decide on the dispute, it noted that a key issue was whether the sorbet had ‘as one of its essential characteristics, a taste attributable primarily to the presence of [Champagne]’.

An Aldi Süd spokesperson told Decanter.com today (2 July) that the sorbet was ‘available as a promotional product in December 2012’. It hasn’t been sold since then.

‘Further statements are currently not possible, as the reasons for the [Munich court’s] decision are not yet available,’ said the spokesperson.

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.