Europe and US have finally come to terms over wine
[A]fter a 20-year battle, an end to the abomination of American “champagne” is finally in sight.
So the US gives up some names, and the EU allows the US to sell wines made using "shockingly non-traditional" techniques. Including nanite filtration systems. Everybody wins. I wonder how long it will take cheese to follow suit? It really is a truth in labelling issue. I will grant that the "château restriction" is kind of silly -- no new wines may be called château unless you can actually see a castle from the vineyard. Thing is, in French, château encompases structures that we would call manors or mansions. So it's not quite as restrictive as it sounds, but it's still a little silly.
The new laws will (probably, I haven't read them) not restrict the use of such adjectives as "Champagne-style sparkling wine," which are permitted in Europe. Many wines are "fabriqué à la méthode champenoise."
So the US gives up some names, and the EU allows the US to sell wines made using "shockingly non-traditional" techniques. Including nanite filtration systems. Everybody wins. I wonder how long it will take cheese to follow suit? It really is a truth in labelling issue. I will grant that the "château restriction" is kind of silly -- no new wines may be called château unless you can actually see a castle from the vineyard. Thing is, in French, château encompases structures that we would call manors or mansions. So it's not quite as restrictive as it sounds, but it's still a little silly.
The new laws will (probably, I haven't read them) not restrict the use of such adjectives as "Champagne-style sparkling wine," which are permitted in Europe. Many wines are "fabriqué à la méthode champenoise."