A row is brewing between France
and the USA over the use of the word ‘chateau’ and who is entitled to use it. In France the word ‘chateau’ refers to the origin of the wine. Chateau in this instance does not mean a building (whether it be a grand French castle, manor, farmhouse or shed) – it refers to the single estate where the grapes are grown. In the USA the word ‘chateau’ does not have the same meaning. The AFP have reported that:
“While French chateau bottles find their origins in wines made at the estate from grapes belonging to the chateau, the U.S. definition for export would use less stringent conditions on provenance. It could include grapes from “vines that have been traditionally used by this wine producer or producer group.”
Bordeaux wine producers have warned that if the European Union decided to authorise their US rivals to use the term ‘chateau’ on bottles sold in Europe this would be tantamount to “cheating consumers”.
Laurent Gapenne of Chateau de Laville an
d president of the Federation des Grand Vins de Bordeaux has said that “what is at stake is the respect for tradition and quality” and that if the Americans do gain the right to use the word ‘chateau’ then this will mean that “there will not be a level playing field”.
“The Americans could create ‘chateau’ wines from grapes from all over and prices would of course be much lower . . . The consumer would be buying a ‘chateau’ wine with the idea of quality that represents our definition,” while in fact it doesn’t, he argued.”
Georges Haussalter, the president of the Bordeaux winemakers’ council (CIVB), said:
“Chateau for us means a wine produced on a single estate in contrast to the American definition which is very loose.”
You may think that it is old fashioned to champion the right of the French to the word ‘chateau’ and that they shouldn’t be so protective or provincial about it. However in the eyes of the French the word ‘chateau’ is part of the regulations attached to their labelling laws and wine producers have to ‘qualify’ in order to use it on their labels. This is why it’s so important. It’s not about who uses the word but it’s about quality.
I am obviously against the EU granting permission for the word ‘chateau’ to be used by the USA – are you?
I’m unclear. Is it an actually EU or French regulated term? Or is “Chateau” traditionally used to reflect a single estate where the grapes are grown?
Hi Tom,
It’s a French regulated term and the EU protect it by not giving permission for wines with the word ‘Chateau’ in their name produced by other countries to be sold within the EU – this is now under debate, hence the furore. Wines named Chateau Blah Blah for example in France MUST source their grapes from the single estate/vineyard owned by the wine producer making the wine whereas US laws apparently allow up to one quarter of the grapes to come from another region or country. I’m not too clued up on US laws so you will know more than me on that issue
Cheers
Nick
Well, its not true that the EU doesn’t allow wines called Chateau xxx produced in other countries to be sold in the EU – I recenty bought Chateau Ste Michelle from Washington State USA in my local wine shop, Chateau Musar from Lebanon is in the supermarket, there’s also Chateau Kefra and, I am sure, others.
And how does the word ‘Chateau’ guarantee quality? From what you say it guarantees only where the grapes come from and is made.
If I – a long time wine geek and well known pedant who was brought up on Bordeaux – didn’t know that ‘Chateau’ had a legal definition meaning an estate wine then I doubt that many other people did, and so consumers won’t be confused because they didn’t know.
I think the French are trying it on here. Surely the issue is that its the combination of the word Chateau AND the Appellation that makes it so.
And also, my French speaking friends assure me that the pixi hat accent on the letter ‘a’ makes it a different letter from an ‘a’ without. Ta ra – only the French can use Chateau with a pixie hat on the ‘a’, others can use a completely different word, i.e. Chateau without an accent. Voila!
Thanks Peter – it is a minefield when it comes to trying to work out what’s permitted and what’s not. Checking the EU Protected Terms section words such as Chateau, Clos etc fall under Traditional Expressions (see http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/sa0026_en.htm). You are quite correct to say that there are wines such as Chateau Musar from the Lebanon being sold in the UK though for the life of me I can not understand why they are permitted when the EU appears to say they are not. Perhaps it varies with each Trade Agreement between the EU and that particular country?
As for the word Chateau being a guarantee for quality I mean that you know where the grapes have come from – surely that is quality assurance?
I like the idea of the pixie hat
but sacre bleu! that would cause a riot.
Cheers
Nick