Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 29 November 2014

Totally confused! Can I see a difference between Prosecco and Veuve Clicquot?

Veuve Clicquot on the top shelf – Valdo one down 
– 2nd label of Veuve Clicquot or a Prosecco?

Dear Veuve Clicquot Legal Eagles Team,

I trust you won't object to me writing to you but I am totally confused. I had thought that through your indefatigable and rigorous efforts a yellowy orange label on a bottle of sparkling wine indicated that this would unquestionably be Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

Imagine my surprise when I visited my local J.Sainsbury (Forest Hill, London SE23) this afternoon that confusion reigns supreme. There are a profusion of yellow/orange labels on bottles of sparkling wine. Some of these appear to be Prosecco and others Veuve Clicquot – presumably Champagne unless you have diversified into Prosecco. Sainsbury's appears to have a penchant for yellow/orange sparkling wines! 

Your fearless pursuit around a year ago of the small Italian producer – Ciro – or earlier Stefano Lubiana in Tasmania in 2001 appears to have been entirely ineffective – possibly counter-productive. Neither of these producers' wines are ever likely to grace the Sainsbury's shelves in Forest Hill, instead we have lots of attractive yellow/orange labels from sparkling brands like Canti and Valdo.

I trust you will use your well-established legal muscle to sort out this dreadful confusion. I hope you will assert Veuve Clicquot's sole right to yellow/orange labels for sparkling wines against all these other brands taking advantage of your reputation – treat it as Christmas coming early!

Consumers will surely be grateful!   



Which one is the Champagne please? 


Thoroughly confused: same colour so is the 
Canti Prosecco also a Veuve Clicquot Champagne? 

A tale of two labels: Veuve Clicquot and the offending ciropicariello 

The Cadoro label is more orange so I'm guessing 
it's Italian – so no confusion? 

Quite orange – both Proseccos?



4 comments:

Hervé Lalau said...

And what about all the wines that share white labels…

Luc Charlier said...

Dear Mr. Budd,
I'm a regular consumer of Canti's Prosecco, which I find very much to my liking and within my price range.
On the other hand, I've never heard of this "Veuve Chipot" or whatever you call it. What is it exactly? Some kind of French fizz?

Jim's Loire said...

M. Charlier. You are clearly a man of discernment. As far as I know it'indeed s a kind of French fizz that comes from Northern France.

Jim's Loire said...

Hervé. True but as far as I know nobody in Champagne has yet tried to trademark the colour (shade?) white – give them time!