Europe's wine label and vines overhaul to combat New World - by Philippe Naughton
The European Commission wants to rip up vines and its traditional labelling rules to protect the Continent's wine industry from surging New World imports.Under reform proposals unveiled today, winemakers in France, Italy and beyond will be asked to "grub up" a million acres of vines and consider taking EU-funded early retirement. The removal of the vines to help restore the balance between supply and demand is the first step in the Commission's package. The next stage would involve reforming the EU's archaic wine classification system to allow producers to adopt consumer-friendly modern labelling and vinification techniques.
The European Union is responsible for 60 per cent of global wine production and consumption, but its wine industry is threatened both by declining domestic demand and the increased popularity of well-priced and user-friendly wines from producers such as Australia and Chile, which have both seen their exports to Europe rise almost 2,000 per cent over the past 15 years.
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