Miles wrote:

>
> Thats true but I do not feel a place defines a wine in the way the
> French perceive. Can a great Burgundy blend be produced from grapes not
> grown in the Burgundy region?

Great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can be grown in several different
places, but great Burgundy by definition comes from Burgundy. And it's
not just a French idea: Italian and Spanish wines are also frequently
labeled by place.

> Can Burgundy grown grapes not blended
> into a true Burgundy be a great wine? I have no trouble with labeling an
> appellation as its important but naming the wine by region doesn't make
> sense to me. California, Oregon, Washington all produce great wines and
> do it without such policies.

That's true, but that's a straw man argument. I'm not arguing that
names like Chablis, Champagne and Burgundy should be protected because
they produce great wine (although they do) but because those names are,
in essence, brand names for regions. I can't make tissue paper and
legally call it Kleenex; why should I be able to make a red wine and
call it Burgundy?

>
> A Napa wine doesn't tell me much at all nor does Burgundy. Too broad
> for anything meaningful due to the numerous micro climates of the region.

That's why there are sub-appelation and vineyard names. Do you not
subscribe to the notion of "Rutherford Dust" or "Santa Lucia Highlands
Pinot Noir"? Likewise, Musigny has a certain flavor profile, as does
Richebourg. Those names were arrived at from many centuries of experience.

>
> Do you really feel that particular blends common in a particular
> California region should be named after that region and regulated as such?

No, and where in my statement do you get that mistaken impression? My
point is that certain place names are protected as equivalent to
trademarks. Do you think that crabs from Florida should be able to be
sold as Dungeness crabs? Should farmed salmon from Canada be sold as
Copper River? Should California be able to sell its produce as Florida
oranges?

Mark Lipton

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