DEFENDING THE CHAMPAGNE LABEL

France strives to prevent the term Champagne from becoming a mere synonym for sparkling wine. Through various regulations and activities, the French exert both internal and external controls over the use of the word. Within France, rules ensure that wine produced in Champagne meets established standards of quality, creating consistent characteristics that emerge upon opening a bottle labeled as such. France makes great efforts to capitalize on the Champagne name throughout the world and aims to ensure that the French wine region receives these benefits exclusively.

1. The Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) is empowered to regulate every aspect of the industry from viticulture through production to trade.
2. A second group monitors the use of the appellation d’origine, defined as, “a geographic denomination attached to a product that signifies its distinctive and renowned qualities.”The L’Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO) sets standards for wine production, monitors the appellations d’origines controllees (“AOC”), and overlooks compliance  The AOC combats fraud with respect to their appellations and the misappropriation of French appellations d’origine throughout the world.
3. The French Maisons de Champagne (“Champagne Houses”) also defend the Champagne name. The Champagne Houses have the statutory authority to represent French Champagne makers.

The CIVC seeks to ensure that if a consumer purchases a bottle labeled Champagne, the consumer can expect the wine to reflect traditional production methods and the presence of certain characteristics. The CIVC pursues these quality goals through rules articulating the production process. The regulations begin with grape pruning and extend all the way through corking and labeling. Wine-makers that stray from the detailed rules are barred from affixing Champagne on their wine label, preventing them from capitalizing on the market value that accompanies the word. When the Champagne term is misappropriated, it is considered per se illegal and all producers have a statutory right of recovery. A key responsibility of the CIVC is to look for such violations. Legal procedures aim to, “progressively make the world admit that Champagne is the proper name for wines produced in the Champagne region and therefore, can neither be used nor associated with any other product, even though it may have a similar appearance or an equivalent prestige.”

Stringent legal standards enforced by the European Union bar the use of the term Champagne and relevant descriptive phrases unless authorized under French AOC standards. Even if a product matches or even surpasses the quality standards of AOC approved wines, it must be actually AOC approved Champagne to bear the label. For example, wine from grapes grown outside of Champagne cannot be legally marketed as Champagne, no matter if produced by the Methode Champanoise. European Union rules prescribe additional detailed label requirements. Labels must indicate the brand or the original name of each House and say ‘France’. Strict European Union rules aim to maintain the exclusive nature of the Champagne term and protect customers from deception.

 Both the European Union rules and the French rules incorporate measures to preserve the Champagne reputation and safeguard consumers.

Champagne Houses

1. Abelé 1757
2. Alexandre Bonnet
3. Alfred Gratien
4. AR Lenoble
5. Ayala
6. Barons de Rothschild
7. Besserat de Bellefond
8. Billecart-Salmon
9. Bissinger & C°
10. Boizel
11. Bollinger
12. Brice
13. Bruno Paillard
14. Canard-Duchêne
15. Cattier
16. Chanoine
17. Charles de Cazanove
18. Charles Heidsieck
19. Charles Lafitte
20. Charles Mignon
21. Chaudron
22. Comtes de Dampierre
23. Christian Senez
24. Cuperly
25. De Castellane
26. De Venoge
27. Delamotte
28. Deutz
29. Dom Perignon
30. Duval-Leroy
31. Edouard Brun & Co
32. Eugène Ralle
33. G.H. Martel & Co
34. Gardet
35. Gosset
36. Gremillet
37. Heidsieck & Co Monopole
38. Henri Giraud
39. Henriot
40. Irroy
41. J. de Telmont
42. Jacquesson
43. Jacquinot & Fils
44. Janisson & Fils
45. Joseph Perrier
46. Krug
47. Lallier
48. Lanson
49. Laurent-Perrier
50. Leclerc Briant
51. Lombard
52. Louis de Sacy
53. Louis Massing
54. Louis Roderer
55. Malard
56. Mansard Baillet
57. Marie Stuart
58. Mercier
59. Moët & Chandon
60. Moutard Diligent
61. Mumm & Cie
62. N. Gueusquin
63. Perrier-Jouët
64. Phlipponnat
65. Pierre Mignon
66. Piper Heidsieck
67. Pol Roger
68. Pommery
69. Ruinart
70. Salon
71. Soutiran
72. Taittinger
73. Thiénot
74. Veuve Cheurlin (J. Aenoult)
75. Veuve Clicquot
76. Vranken