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Australian tawny port set for EU
25 Feb 2004
Australian tawny port and vintage wine will be sold in the European Union with their labels unchanged under new EU rules. The European Commission has agreed to allow certain wine descriptors, used by winemakers all over the world, to remain unaltered. The move follows complaints that the EU was using geographical indicators of wine as a de facto trade barrier.
In a statement, the EC said that exporting countries must show that terms such as tawny, vintage and brunelle are in widespread use and have been applied for more than 10 years. It said that the expressions refer to production methods or wine colour, rather than geographical areas.
Australian wine exporters are already barred from using the terms Champagne and Beaujolais. The EU is Australia's biggest wine market, valued at around $1 billion a year.
Herald Sun, 25/2/04, page 3.
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