Can French champagne exporters label their products with “champagne hut”, the Russian word for champagne? No, says Russian President Vladimir Putin, and in July signed a law against it.
Instead, all champagne producers outside Russia had to label their products with “sparkling wine” to fit on Russian store shelves.
– To deprive the people of Champagne of the right to use their name is scandalous. It is our common heritage and our apple of the eye, said Maxime Toubart and Jean-Marie Barillère, co-presidents of Champagne Committee after Putin’s signature.
Only Russian producers of sparkling wine will be reserved for champagne labeling. The French newspaper The world describes the Russian champagne as “a pale copy mass-produced for the local market”.
Shortly after the decision, Möet Hennesy had to stop its sale to change the labeling. The company accounts for 2 percent of French champagne exports to Russia.
Friend of the manufacturer
Russia is the 15th largest export market for French champagne. They are also one of the few countries in the world that has never recognized the word “champagne” as an exclusive word for sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France.
The world assumes that the law comes from a desire to promote local producers of sparkling wine. Novy Svet is among these manufacturers, owned by Yuri Kovaltchouk. Kovaltchouk is according to Forbes friend of President Putin.
France has so far had the law postponed until 31 December. Franck Riester, Minister of Trade in France, recently resumed discussions with the Russian authorities.
– We think we can convince them that they also have an interest in protecting geographical designations of origin, the Minister of Trade said on Wednesday.
French Trade Minister Franck Riester.
Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
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Crystal clear regulations
Trond Erling Pettersen, category manager at Vinmonopolet, says that in most countries you can be sure that bottles marked “champagne” come from the Champagne region in France.
– The legislation in the EU and almost all countries in the world is crystal clear: If champagne is on the label, it must be produced in the region and according to certain requirements.
Pettersen further says that even though a sparkling wine is made from the same grapes and with the same method as in the Champagne region, many will still insist that the French champagne stands out.
– On paper, there may be great similarities, but the champagne producers will say that it still can not be the same. They point to complex flavors of hundreds of years of experience and a special soil.
If the French and the Russians do not agree, the French Minister of Trade has said Reuters that he will take the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
– But I hope we can resolve the disagreements through dialogue, Riester added.
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