Declaration expands
to 19 with addition of Bordeaux, Bourgogne/Chablis and Santa Barbara County
EPERNAY, France—The American wine region of Santa Barbara County, California,
and French wine regions Bordeaux and Bourgogne/Chablis became the latest
signatories of the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin, a
global movement aimed at ensuring wine place names are protected and not abused
or mis-communicated to consumers.
“The attention around protection of
place names has really taken off in recent years. The addition of these
prominent regions only underscores that,” said Linda Reiff, president and CEO
of the Napa Valley Vintners, one of the founding signatories to the
Declaration. “While we all may compete in the marketplace, through the
Declaration initiative, we want to take a very clear, collective stand that
protection of place names is always in the consumer’s best interest.”
Representatives from Santa Barbara,
Bourgogne/Chablis and Bordeaux are attending coordinating meetings with other
Declaration members in the Champagne region of France this week and will
participate in activities being outlined for the coming year. Champagne is also
one of the founding signatories to the Declaration.
“We are honored to join this esteemed
group of the world’s leading wine regions. Santa Barbara County wines, like all
those represented in this coalition, are unique. They can’t be duplicated
anywhere else in the world and today we come together to recognize that nothing
shapes a wine’s character like its location,” said Morgen McLaughlin, executive
director of the Santa Barbara Vintners.
The Declaration meetings come at a
time when there is considerable momentum building globally to protect place
names and demand accurate and fair labeling. Recently, the Canadian government
updated its laws to require all wines labeled “Champagne” truly come from
Champagne, France. In 2013, Chinese trade officials formally recognized the
names of Napa Valley and Champagne, thus prohibiting the misuse of these place
names within its borders.
“Regions like Bordeaux,
Bourgogne/Chablis, Santa Barbara and Napa Valley are unlike any place else in
the world and the evolution and growth of the wine industry rests on the
protection of place names. Wine consumers are becoming more and more educated
about what they consume,” said Fabien
Bova, director general of the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux
(CIVB). “Wine labels need to reflect the true regions from which a wine hails
and consumers must be protected from those who fail to recognize the
distinguishing features that makes all regional wines unique.”
André Ségala, General Manager of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) added, “We
are proud of our region’s winemaking history and its identity, which sets us
apart. There is fierce competition across the world, and as such, we continue
to raise the profile of our wines. Name protection is essential to ensuring the
authenticity of the product we share with consumers.”
By becoming signatories of the
Declaration, members agree that geographic names are fundamental tools for
consumers to identify the special wines associated with specific winegrowing
regions. And as such, they commit to work together to bring the necessary
awareness and advocacy to bear to ensure these names are protected and
respected. From great winegrowing regions to consumer rights groups to everyday
wine consumers, more and more are making their voices heard in the campaign to
protect wine place names.
###
About the Declaration
The Joint Declaration to Protect Wine
Place Names & Origin was signed in Napa Valley on July 26, 2005. Other
signatories of the Declaration include: Champagne, Chianti Classico,
Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Long Island, Napa Valley, Oregon, Paso Robles, Porto,
Rioja, Sonoma County, Victoria, Tokaj, Walla Walla Valley, Washington state,
Willamette Valley and Western Australia. To lend support and read the full text
of the Declaration visit www.protectplace.com.
