What's the difference???

[Thomas]

sgutte, a cursory trip around a liquor store yesterday turned up a few more culprits. I suppose some producers cannot let it go.

I had an argument with a Finger Lakes producer who uses the word champagne on his labels. His argument is: "if it walks like a duck and it looks like a duck, it's a duck," meaning he produces the wine in the Champagne method. Lame argument, as far as I am concerned.

I asked him how he would feel if the French produced wine labeled finger lakes. He asked me why they would do such a thing!

You often cannot make people think beyond their special interest. It is in his interest to keep the consumer confused about the word champagne, and so he goes right on doing it. It is also in the interest of those bulk wine producers to keep consumers in the dark. Apparently, it is in the interest of the BATF to keep the status quo, although I have no clue why...

Mr. D, you are referring, I think, to those bulk wines that had varietals on their labels but had no such varietals in the wine--or very little. They used words like Chardonnay that were followed by a qualifier or some such nonsense. That was a clear sidestep of regulations.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 02-15-2003).]