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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




Monday 8 June 2009

EU drops rosé blending proposal

This afternoon the European Commission dropped the proposal to allow the blending of red and white to make rosé. Mariann Fischer Boel, the European Commissioner for agriculture and rural development said that: "I am always prepared to listen to good arguments -- that's why I am making this change."

If there were any good arguments in favour of maintaining the European ban on blending red and whites I haven't heard them. I fear this is another instance of the European Commission and politicians, especially, in France bowing to emotional ignorance and prejudice. Over the last 20 years all attempts to modernise the French wine industry have come to nought and I'm sure that this will continue. I imagine that producers outside Europe will be toasting this climbdown very happy that Europe has decided to remain uncompetitive, especially in new markets in Asia.

I assume that the producers of the Côtes de Provence will now lobby the INAO with vigour pleading that their right to make rosé with four white grape varieties is removed as soon as possible from the rules that govern the production of Côtes de Provence so that there is no longer the possibility of making a Côtes de Mélange.

Had the producers of rosés from Provence been more convinced by the quality of their product, I fancy they would have been more relaxed about a proposal that shouldn't have been a threat.

1 comment:

Charles Sydney said...

hi Jim - quite agree... it's called shooting yourself in the foot.
for fun, here's a copy of an email I sent out in reply to a petition organised by some 'concerned' growers:

au risque de décevoir mes amis vignerons, je pense qu'on se fâche pour pas grand chose...

1 - il s'agit en effet de permettre un assemblage des vins blancs et rouges pour en faire un rosé ... mais uniquement en vin de table et non pas en appellation contrôlée

2 - ce pratique est déjà admis dans l'une des plus prestigieuses appellations qui soit, le champagne

Enfin, j'ai entendu un responsable de syndicat viticole dire que 'le consommateur risque de ne pas pouvoir faire la différence' entre un rosé d'assemblage et un rosé 'traditionnel'...

Si on ne peut pas faire la différence entre un vin d'appellation contrôlée et un vin de table, sans indication géographique, alors on a le droit de se poser des questions sur la validité de notre système AOC

Je ne crois absolument pas que ces vins d'assemblage posent un risque pour les vrais vins de terroir - le Touraine Noble Joué ou le rosé de Provence par exemple - mais ce changement permettrait à certains de nos négociants de lutter à armes égales avec la concurrence étrangère.

Parfois il faut accepter que Bruxelles lutte pour et non pas contre ses citoyens.