{"id":7447,"date":"2013-01-14T00:01:04","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T05:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/winetrailtraveler.com\/blog\/?p=7447"},"modified":"2013-01-13T20:52:25","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T01:52:25","slug":"whats-in-a-wine-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/winetrailtraveler.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/14\/whats-in-a-wine-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in a Wine Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

A California Sparkling Wine<\/p><\/div>\n

What\u2019s in a wine name? In the wine world, names are very important. Wineries and wine regions are proud of their wines whether it is the individual winery or a specific wine area.<\/p>\n

I read with interest an article in the Press Democrat<\/span><\/a><\/span> that for the 2013 Inauguration, Korbel California Cellars<\/span><\/a><\/span> is providing a beverage. Korbel California Champagne is to be on the menu. According to the article, \u201cControversy bubbles up over Korbel ‘champagne’ description for inauguration\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/span> by Jeremy Hay, a press release about the Inauguration said that the beverage was Korbel Champagne California rather than Korbel California Champagne. It doesn\u2019t seem like a big difference, does it? But it has upset some people, who only want the sparkling beverage labeled Champagne if it is from Champagne, France.<\/p>\n

The rules regarding the usage of the word Champagne are interesting. It turns out that some US wineries use the word Champagne but usually these are wineries that have been grandfathered in.<\/p>\n

According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in 2006 the EU and US signed a wine agreement that included the use of semi-generic names. \u201cIn the agreement the U.S. committed to seeking to change the legal status of the semi-generic names to restrict their use solely to wines originating in the applicable EU member state with certain exceptions, in particular, a \u201cgrandfather\u201d provision.\u00a0 For more information, visit the TTB website<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

As far as the press release goes, it was likely an honest mistake not meant to impinge on Champagne and its followers.<\/p>\n

A solution is waiting. Isn\u2019t it time for people in the United States to come up with a better word to use than the term \u201csparkling wine?\u201d What word do you think conveys the sparkling wines of the US?<\/p>\n

Kathy<\/p>\n