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One of the most prestigious Tuscan wineries accuses our manufacturer of misleading consumers
At the same time, the national brand has already twice won the dispute in the restaurant of the European Patent Office in Bolgheri.
Two famous wineries, Italian and Bulgarian, argue about who has the right to use the names “Bolgeri” and “Bolgare” on their bottle labels.
Due to the similarity in their spelling, the Italian Sasikaya accuses the Bulgarian Domaine Boyar of taking advantage of the fame of Tuscan wine. This is categorically denied by the director of the Bulgarian winery Evgeni Haramliiski, who explained to “24 Chasa” that they have already won cases twice in the case at the European Patent Office. Now, however, the Italians are trying to exert political pressure by hiring two Italian MEPs.
What is it for
the fight?
Italian wine is “Bolgeri” (emphasis on “or”) and has a DOC controlled appellation of origin (this is a certificate for a protected geographical region of origin). Bulgarian is “Bolgare” (emphasis is on “e”).
The Bolgheri DOC brand was created by Sasikaya in 1984. Sasikaya is the label of the San Guido winery in the town of Bolgeri, Tuscany. It is owned by the Marchioness Inchiza della Roquette.
In May 2017, the established Bulgarian company Domaine Boyar, which is among our largest wine exporters in Europe and the United States, submitted an application in the EU for the registration of the Bolgare brand related to wines and alcoholic beverages. However, according to the Italian company, this name is clearly reminiscent of the famous Doc Bolgheri and Doc Bolgheri Sassicaia wines.
Both Italian and Bulgarian producers use the same varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But there is no other way, since these are the two most common red grape varieties in the world.
Two Italian MEPs from the Democratic Party, Paola de Castro and Simona Bonafe, also defended local wine. In a parliamentary question, they asked the European Commission to intervene in the case.
“We cannot accept that some producers may violate the rules of the single market,” MEPs wrote to the EC.
Despite opposition from the consortium for the protection of wines “Bolgeri” PDO (this is a protected designation of origin in Europe), the European Intellectual Property Office has ruled that there is no reason to intervene in relation to the Bulgarian brand “Bolgare “. However, according to the Italian company, a 2013 European regulation protects products of protected origin from the misuse of their registered trademarks or misleading names. According to the two Italian MEPs, this is because Bolgheri is a geographical name and is protected by European standards. With this fact, they argue why they turned to the EC.
“In 2017, we were informed about the attempt to register us by a Bulgarian wine company under the trademark ‘Bolgare’, a name that certainly reminds us of Bolgeri. As is the practice in these cases, the consortium challenged this before the Office European Trademark. After 2 years, it rejected our complaint. At the beginning of October, we questioned this decision and we consider it necessary to inform our representatives in the European Parliament about this experience, which could harm Bolgeri, ” said the Bulgarian consortium for the protection of Bolgeri PDO, whose director is Ricardo Binda, to the Italian website Wine News.
Of domain
Boyar, however
counter what is
absurd
consider them so influential that they can determine which experts to hire from the European Commission in patent cases. And that the Italians’ claims that a man with Bulgarian citizenship has resolved the dispute in favor of Domaine Boyar are complete nonsense.
The financial daily “Sole 24 ore” recalls that very recently the DOC wine “Bolgeri Sasikaya” was at the center of the fraud. The Financial Guard of Florence destroyed an organization that bottled with false labels, corks and cases of Sicilian wine as “Sasikaya 2015” – this is the label that in 2018 was announced by Wine Spectator as the best wine in the world. In this case, the labels, corks and wine cash registers were made in Bulgaria. However, the fraud was carried out by two Italians, a father and a son, from Milan.
The story of
Sasikaya Wine A bottle costs an average of 250 euros, but in specialized wine bars you can find a bottle of “normal” vintage for 150 euros. However, if it is an exceptional vintage, the price is many times higher.
Sasikaya was born in the 1960s in Bolgheri, Tuscany. Its creator is the “San Guido” winery. The father of wine can be considered the Marquis Mario Inchiza della Roquette. After many meetings with Baron Rothschild, from whom he was inspired, and after many experiments, he came up with the idea of making Burgundy wine on Italian soil. That is why he chose the San Guido mansion in Tuscany, which resembles the one in Bordeaux in France. 1985 is the year of the miracle, because then the “Sasikaya” is born, which everyone defines as divine. Bolgeri is the area where it is made today. A
the name itself
the town rings
so much
Bulgarian,
because according to the historical data in those places in Tuscany there was a military fortification of the ancient proto-Bulgarians, allies of the Lombards. They had to defend themselves from possible attacks by Byzantine troops from Sardinia. It is not entirely clear when exactly Bolgeri Castle began to be called that. The first document in which it is mentioned is from 1158.
Bulgarian origin is already permanently rooted in Italy: today dozens of geographical names remind Bulgarians who once passed through them. Hence the many “Bulgarian” surnames in Italy: Bulgari, Bulgaro, Bulgarini and others.
However, this does not give Italians grounds to challenge the right of the Bulgarian company to name its products with names that recall their own origin.
Dominion Boyar: Italians may want to remove Bulgaria as a name
TIHOMIR TONCHEV
We have no points of contact with Italian Sasikaya, we don’t even sell wine in the same market at the moment, to talk about misleading consumers and the similarity of Bulgaria to Bolgheri. Furthermore, our brand remained unused for 2 years, then we sold it on the Bulgarian market for another 2 years and only when we registered it at European level for interest in exporting to England, only then did the Italians react. This was commented on for “24 Chasa” by “Domain Boyar” CEO Evgeni Haramliiski. According to him, Italians are currently looking for a way to exert political pressure against the Bulgarian brand by engaging in the case of both MEPs from the Apennines.
The Italians have already lost two appeals against us in the European Patent Office, now they are trying a third one, Haramliiski added. He explained that his original idea was to call the brand “Bulgare” to show that we are Bulgarian and emphasize our tradition, but he decided to replace “and” with “or”. Graphically, his brand had nothing to do with that of “Sasikaya”, it is even intended to include traditional Bulgarian elements, such as houses in Koprivshtitsa, Shipka and others. In fact, Bolgheri was not even a Sasikaya brand, but a name to the wines of this Italian region, similar to the Bulgarian Thracian Plain and Rose Valley.
And what comes out? That we shouldn’t include anything Bulgarian? Well, they may also want us to remove Bulgaria as a name, “commented the head of” Domain Boyar. “His company would not give up Bulgaria, it would even register it in Bulgarian. The winery planned to launch brandy and putty.
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