Russia Ousts Champagne In Favour Of Shampanskoye

Published date03 August 2021
Subject MatterConsumer Protection, Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Consumer Law, Food and Drugs Law
Law FirmAdams & Adams
AuthorMs Nicole Haworth

In what can best be described as a robust and "no bars held" move, Russia has declared that champagne producers must now include the designation "sparkling wine" on their Champagne products manufactures for export to Russia.

To add insult to injury, only locally-produced (in Russia) sparkling wine manufactured according to the traditional champagne method (but not in Champagne, France) may feature the designation "Shampanskoye", (the Russian word for the French word "Champagne") on their labels.

This move, which has been the subject of both criticism and praise, both in Russia and beyond, has been seen as move toward protecting local producers of sparkling wines products.

However, as a fiercely protected indication of geographical origin, French champagne producers are, to say the least, unimpressed by this move. And, in response to this new law, several French Champagne producers ceased their Russian exporting activities.

Geographical indications, also known as appellations of origin, are used to inform consumers that the product being purchased was grown or produced in a particular region and, as such, possesses certain qualities unique to the relevant locale. Our great and proudly South African example of a protected indicator or geographical origin is Rooibos. When this indication is included in a label, it informs the consumer that the agricultural product, identified as aspalathus linearis, has been grown in the Cederberg in the Western Cape, according to an identified standard. In much the same way, Tequila informs the consumer that spirit so labelled originates from the Tequila region, in Mexico...

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