+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: GENERAL (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-100.html)
+--- Forum: Rants & Raves (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-12.html)
+--- Thread: Fake Italian wine!! (/thread-13083.html)
- Kcwhippet - 08-28-2003
Have you seen this, Roberto?
www.harpers-wine.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=1224
- Botafogo - 08-28-2003
Interesting, but ambiguous and without facts. It COULD be read to mean that many wines made elsewhere (California, Argentina or Chile...) have Italian sounding names but then it says that a lot of it is DOC so who knows?
- Auburnwine - 08-28-2003
That is damned vague, and I think there is less to it than meets the eye.
Perhaps it's like the movement to limit Champagne to Champagne.
What next? Only Parmesan from Parma and Cheddar from Cheddar? Boston Baked Beans from Massachusetts, Brussels sprouts from Belgium, Faisan à la Périgord from Dordogne?
Sigh, where will it end?
- Auburnwine - 08-28-2003
From Cheese to Wine, EU OKs Protections
By Begona Quesada
LONDON (Reuters) - EU governments have ended weeks of squabbling and agreed on a list of 41 famous food and drink names such as Parma ham and Rioja wine that they want to have worldwide brand protection, officials said on Thursday.
The European Union (news - web sites) hopes to win backing for its menu of gastronomic treasures to be protected under World Trade Organization (news - web sites) (WTO) rules, something many of the bloc's trading partners think is disguised protectionism.
Opponents of Brussels' stance say many names that the EU wants to protect are already generic terms in consumers' minds.
Time had been running short for an agreement on a list to hand to EU negotiators before they set off to Cancun, Mexico, for the World Trade Organization session that starts on September 10, where principles on liberalizing global farm trade should be agreed.
According to the European Union's executive Commission, the final list represents not only the most valuable items but also those most widely pirated overseas: drinks like Chablis, Champagne and Cognac and the cheeses Gorgonzola and Manchego.
"Together with our allies, the EU will do its utmost to achieve better protection for regional quality products, from Europe's Roquefort cheese to India's Darjeeling tea, from Guatemala's Antigua coffee to Morocco's Argan oil in the WTO talks," said European Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler.
"This is not about protectionism. It is about fairness. It is simply not acceptable that the EU cannot sell its genuine Italian Parma ham in Canada because the trademark 'Parma Ham' is reserved for a ham produced in Canada," he said.
Weeks of meetings of the EU's influential trade committee led to stalemate, with increasingly bitter demands by member states for more of their national favorites to be included.
In July, for example, Greece threatened to reject the entire list if it failed to include Feta cheese, Kalamata olives and, if possible, the aniseed liquor Ouzo. In a diplomatic victory for Athens, both Feta and Ouzo were added, but not Kalamata.
France asked for seven more of its products to be added but withdrew Neufchatel cheese when it won acceptance of Beaujolais and St Emilion wines. Spain fought successfully for its Mancha saffron, while Britain agreed to remove Blue Stilton cheese.
An Italian official said piracy of Italy's most famous food brands by U.S. firms was costing the country billions of dollars.
A study by Italian industry group INDICOF released on Thursday showed that less than one dollar in 10 spent on Italian-type foods in the United States was used to buy products made in Italy.
- Botafogo - 08-28-2003
>>What next? Only Parmesan from Parma and Cheddar from Cheddar? <<<
YES!!!!!!!!! Prosciuto di Parma and Parmesiano-Reggiano are and can only BE made in the DOC. They TASTE different than the erzatz stuff made in Wisconsin or elsewhere.
Would you feel differently about a "Napa Valley" wine from South Africa?
>>are already generic terms in consumers' minds<<
As would be Gucci and Rolex and Microsoft Windows if such names were not vigorously protected against the thieves who pirate them.
Luddite to the core, Roberto
[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 08-28-2003).]