Wine Origins Website Launched
Mentioned back in September, Wine Origins, a conglomorate financed by the European Union, the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the Instituto dos Vinos do
Douroe Porto (IVDP), Fedejerez who represents Sherry producers from Spain, and others, Launched their website today.
From the Website: When it comes to wine, there is no ingredient more important than location. The land, air, water and weather where grapes are grown are what make each wine unique. That’s why great names like Port and Champagne are more than just types of wine; they’re from specific regions in Portugal and France.
And that’s why the Center for Wine Origins was founded – to help Americans remember that location matters when it comes to wine. While excellent wine is produced around the world it is important to know where your wine comes from.
Consider the Center for Wine Origins a one-stop shop for information about the importance of location and details on some of the leading wine regions of the world.
Well thanks for the reminder. Now back to that Califonian Champagne I’m enjoying with lunch.
Seiously though, the argument is fine on the website, but an important detail is missing from the financers of this site’s own labels. The product name.
The site states: Would you buy gulf shrimp from Arkansas? Or wild Alaskan salmon from Nevada? How about Washington apples from Wyoming?
Sounds good, but here’s the problem. Every bottle of Champagne should be labeled: Champagne Sparkling White Wine. Florida Oranges use the product name, Oranges. They don’t call them Florida, that would sound stupid (Welcome to Jim’s Kitchen. Would you like a glass of Florida this morning?). But that’s exactly what European Sparkling White Wine Producers have done (Sounds weird not calling it Champagne doesn’t it). People don’t realize that Champagne is the region and not the product. Sparkling White Wine is the Product. The same reasoning is true for Port and Sherry. Put your product name on the label and maybe California Sparkling White Wine Producers wouldn’t feel like they have to use the word Champagne so that Joe idiot can identify their product.
