[ad_1]
On July 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law requiring French champagne producers to label their products sold in Russia as “sparkling wine” on the back label.
The French champagne industry does not use this name, as it claims that “champagne” is an exclusive drink produced in the Champagne region.
The new law stipulates that producers of Russian “champagne” will receive a unique status: their products will not have to be called sparkling wine.
According to French media, a “champagne war” began between Russia and France, when Moscow, according to Paris, tries to damage the legendary French brand.
The law has come under fire from even the Kremlin’s most loyal supporters, and the French Champagne Committee, an organization that unites producers of the drink in the country, has expressed “outrage.”
Photo by Scanpix / ITAR-TASS / Winery in Russia
Last week a letter from French producer Moët Hennessy to a distribution center in Russia was published on the social network Facebook.
In it, the producer informed Russian customers that he had stopped supplying champagne to Russia because it had not yet been confirmed whether the name would be changed to “sparkling wine” on the labels.
The mockery has spread on Russian social media. Popular musician Vasia Oblomov joked on Twitter that all cars made in Russia should be called “Mercedes”, and German models, “cars assembled abroad.”
Even Kremlin propagandist Margarita Simonian, editor-in-chief of state broadcaster RT, said the law “looks very stupid.”
“Can anyone explain why champagne can no longer be called champagne?” He wrote on Twitter.
Moscow won the round
Russian industry experts say the new law has been overstated. The objective is to classify all imported “sparkling wines” – from Spanish digging to italian prosecco and French champagne under one umbrella. It is said that the front labels will be able to remain as they are now.
Pavel Titov, president of the Russian sparkling wine producer Abrau-Durso, told the RIA Novosti news agency: “It is very important for wine producers in Russia to work on the big picture of the world wine industry. I have no doubt that true champagne is produced in the Champagne region. “
On Sunday, Moët Hennessy landed and agreed to change the product name to “sparkling wine” on the back label of bottles sold in Russia.
Andrei Grigoriev, a partner at Russia’s Double Magnum wine advisory group, said it could take several months to process the documents to comply with the new law, possibly delaying shipments.
The French Champagne Committee called on all French champagne producers to suspend exports to Russia until further notice, and called on French and European Union (EU) diplomats to lobby for them.
“It is our common heritage, our jewel,” said two presidents of an organization that often uses the slogan “champagne only comes from champagne in France.”
“I was surprised to see the decision,” Olivier Gergaud, a food and wine researcher at the Kedge business school in France, told The Washington Post.
He compared the Russian move to a suitor pretending to have a degree from Harvard University.
ZUMAPRESS / Scanpix photo / Moët Hennessy logo
The French champagne industry went through a historic crisis last year when the COVID-19 pandemic closed clubs and bars, causing a significant drop in beverage sales. Compared to 2019, champagne exports fell 18 percent.
According to O. Gergaudas, sales have increased again recently, as people have started celebrating the missed holidays. In Russia, 1 percent was sold last year. French champagne.
“It is for the elite,” said Vadim Drobiz, director of the Russian Federal and Regional Center for Alcohol Markets.
It is not the first conflict
The French champagne industry’s irate reaction to a law passed in Russia reflects a long-standing effort to protect the name “champagne.” Similar disagreements have already occurred in the past.
The French Champagne Committee, for example, has long been in conflict with the small Swiss town of Champagne, which has been banned from using the name for its wine and other products.
French champagne producers have already found themselves in similar legal disputes with other countries for customer fraud or intellectual property infringement.
“We have a long history of successful cases. The challenge arises when it comes to a national debate, as in the case of Russia,” said food and wine researcher Kolleen Marie Guy.
Leonid Popovich, president of the Union of Winemakers and Winemakers of Russia, said Russia had been calling its sparkling wine “champagne” for more than 100 years.
The term was established under the rule of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, naming it a cheap and affordable version of sparkling wine previously only used by the elite.
[ad_2]
