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CHAMPAGNE In victory, you deserve
champagne.
DEFENCE In defeat, you need it.

WORLDWIDE Napoleon Bonaparte

If this is not clear enough from previous trade association that represents all the grape
texts, here is some legal information as to why growers and houses of Champagne, France.
no other sparkling wine can be called Cham- The Bureau works to educate US consumers
pagne, why Cognac is Cognac, and why Par- about the uniqueness of the wines of Cham-
migiano-Reggiano may only come from the pagne and expand their understanding of
Reggio Emilia region or Emilia-Romagna. the importance location plays in the creation
This regulation (enforced within the EU and of all wines. We are intently focused on ensu-
being gradually expanded internationally via ring Champagne is properly protected in the
bilateral agreements between the EU and United States, as it is in most of the rest of the
non-EU countries) ensures that only products world.
genuinely originating in that region are allo- As the world’s two largest economies and
wed to be identified as such in commerce. major wine producers, the United States and
The Comité Champagne operates via a glo- European Union are key players in the global
bal network of bureaus in 16 of the biggest wine trade. Both have truth-in-labeling laws
export markets for Champagne. Their job is that seek to properly inform consumers about
to protect the image of Champagne within the contents or ingredients of products, as
their respective markets and report misuse of well as strong trademark systems designed
its name. Some disputes may be settled out of to protect brand names from illegal use by
court, some go to trial. others. While most quality winemakers around
The reputation and importance of the Cham- the world do not misuse geographic indicati-
pagne appellation has long been a source of ons, that is not the case in the United States.
envy for other producers, spawning hundreds Only wines made from the grapes grown
of imitations every year. Some brands are easy and harvested in Champagne and then produ-
to copy, but Champagne is a unique product ced under the strict regulations of the Cham-
born of the shared heritage of Winegrowers pagne appellation can bear the Champagne
and Champagne Houses whose livelihoods name. This unique location – called terroir in
depend on protecting that heritage. French – is integral to the wines that are pro-
They also have a duty to protect consumers duced and that is why the Champagne com-
against misleading claims made for any wines, munity and quality wine producers worldwide
beverages or products that trade off Champ- call for the all wines that bear the Champagne
agne’s reputation as an appellation of guaran- name to only come from Champagne, France.
teed origin and quality. In the same way that a Napa wine comes only
It is therefore the policy of the Comité Cham- from Napa Valley, California, Champagne comes
pagne and the INAO to prosecute anyone who only from Champagne, France. This is the law of
misappropriates the reputation or identity of the land in Brazil, China, the EU, Mexico, Canada
the Champagne appellation. and the majority of the countries worldwide.
The Champagne Bureau for Americas is lo- The United States is one of the last countries in
cated in Washington, DC, and is the U.S. re- the world to not reserve the Champagne name
presentative of the Comité Champagne, the exclusively for wines from Champagne. ƅ

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