![\"134738_champagne-civc-wang-wei\"](\"http:\/\/www.wineblogchina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/134738_champagne-civc-wang-wei-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nImage: Wang Wei, representative of the Comit\u00e9 Champagne (CIVC) in China<\/p>\n
What the GI does<\/strong><\/p>\n A geographic indication (GI) is a \u2018clearly defined, specific place of origin,\u2019 explained Wang Wei, representative of the Comit\u00e9 Champagne’s China office.<\/p>\n \u2018The unique local geographic environment brings particular characteristics to its product, therefore only this area is granted the right to use a specific name. The concept came from Europe but is now used globally,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n Champagne gained its GI status in the early 20th century. It is one of the first wine producing regions to receive such recognition, introduced CIVC.<\/p>\n For an immature market like China, a GI is a helpful guide for consumers as it \u2018suggests the style and features of the region, and provides some guarantee to the quality\u2019, said Wang Wei.<\/p>\n \u2018When seeing the name \u201cChampagne\u201d, you will know that the wine has bubbles, and was made by fermenting in the bottle; also it suggests that the wine was made under strict regulations in grape selection, production and winemaking,\u2019 said Wang Wei.<\/p>\n How to protect a European GI in China<\/strong><\/p>\n Fresh import figures shows that in 2015, the total value of imported sparkling wines in China was 6m USD, down by 27% compared to 2014.<\/p>\n \u2018China has never been a major market for Champagne,\u2019 confessed the China representative for the trade body, which set up its office in the country in 2006.<\/p>\n \u2018However, the Champanions decided that works need to be done to clean up the market environment and set up protections, before a market can really start to blossom for them.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018The Chinese market used to be flooded with \u201cbig champagnes\u201d, \u201clittle champagnes\u201d, \u201cpink champagnes\u201d\u2014anyone could use the name. If we had allowed them spamming the market, consumers could never find out what real champagnes taste like. That\u2019s bad news for any brand to develop naturally and positively in China.\u2019<\/p>\n Among the French wine regions which hold a GI status, Champagne was the pioneer to set up an office in China. Through great efforts and spending a long time, the region was finally granted legal protection by the Chinese authorities in 2013, following Napa (2012).<\/p>\n \u2018Since then, we were able to take legal actions against the knock-offs,\u2019 she explained.<\/p>\n Image: Champagne vineyards \u00a9 Decanter<\/p>\n For importers of regular sparkling wines who misused the Chinese name for Champagne \u2018\u9999\u69df\u2019 on their labels, the CIVC China office would firstly \u2018file a polite letter of notification, stating that this is an act of infringement, and demand them to stop using Champagne on the label. \u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Some of them would reply politely, saying that they were indeed unaware of the regulations, and were willing to make corrections,\u2019 said Wang Wei, who considers this \u2018a process you have to go through to gain understanding in the trade\u2019. By doing this, \u2018we hope to push for the trade to regulate itself,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n As for the cheap, low-quality knock-offs made by small local wineries, the trade body usually resort to the help of the local government, who can conduct investigations, confiscate the fakes, and urge offenders to stop the production.<\/p>\n Sometimes a fine is imposed. \u2018Though the fine won\u2019t be a lot, but it\u2019s more like a statement: the term Champagne can\u2019t be used lightly, and that the Champagne region is very serious about protecting its rights in China,\u2019 said Wang Wei.<\/p>\n \u2018We are generally content about the progress we made in protecting the Champagne brand in the Chinese market at the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n Promote the concept of geographic indication<\/strong><\/p>\n Having said that, although the Chinese consumers are more and more conscious about protecting their rights and seeking for heathier and safer products, the geographic indication is still a concept \u2018yet to be known by all\u2019 in China, Wang Wei told DecanterChina.com.<\/p>\n \u2018Different local law enforcement departments don\u2019t always understand the necessity of GI protection in the same way,\u2019 said Wang Wei. \u2018Sometimes we have to spend a very long time to explain and provide plenty of evidence, so as to help the local officials to understand what we\u2019re asking for.\u2019<\/p>\n In order to better communicate the concept of Champagne and the EU geographic protection system, \u2018in 2015, we used every opportunity, including various government and trade seminars, to promote the idea of GI protection,\u2019 said Wang Wei.<\/p>\n Image: Louis Roederer vineyards and horses, Champagne \u00a9 Decanter<\/p>\n Educating consumers about Champagne is also an important part of the work, said Wang Wei.<\/p>\n \u2018There are many ways to spot a fake Champagne, such as via the certificate of origin or information on the wine label. But the consumers need some basic wine knowledge to do that.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Everything we do today is for protecting the value of the \u2018Champagne\u2019 brand. The higher the value is the more efficient protection it needs.\u2019<\/p>\n GI protection on China\u2019s domestic products<\/strong><\/p>\n As one of the pioneers in GI protection in China, the CIVC said that it\u2019s happy to pass on the experiences to China\u2019s domestic products.<\/p>\n \u2018China has many quality agricultural products that are made in a specific region and hold unique characteristics,\u2019 Wang Wei told DecanterChina.com that due to lack of protection, many of these product or region names tend to be misused in the market. \u2018Once the consumers get confused, the credibility of the name will be lost.\u2019<\/p>\n In order to make the GI protection to take effect and bring actual profit to the local people, \u2018the authorities need to pay enough attention to it. We will need a more comprehensive legal protection system, and train the law enforcers about the importance of intellectually property rights,\u2019 suggested Wang Wei.<\/p>\n \u2018Properly reinforced GI protection will directly benefit both producers and consumers. It is also in line with the country\u2019s strategy of sustainable development,\u2019 she concluded.<\/p>\n Translated by Sylvia Wu \/ \u5434\u5609\u6ea6<\/p>\n Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.decanterchina.com\/en\/knowledge\/people\/region-authorities\/exclusive-protecting-the-champagne-name-in-china<\/a><\/p>\n \nAll rights reserved by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Decanter. Only Official Media Partners (see ‘About Us’ page on the website) of DecanterChina.com may republish part of the content from the site without prior permission under strict Terms & Conditions. Contact china@decanter.com to learn about how to become an Official Media Partner of DecanterChina.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0By Maxime Lu \/ \u9646\u6c5f Published on DecanterChina.COM, Chinese version of Decanter. 4 February 2016 With Bordeaux gaining its protected geographic indication (GI) status in 2015, it is believed that the Chinese market, which has grown over 30% in wine import volume and value in 2015, is making progress in protecting the names of the … Continue reading ![\"134740_champagne-grapes-chardonnay-credit-decanter\"](\"http:\/\/www.wineblogchina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/134740_champagne-grapes-chardonnay-credit-decanter-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"134741_champagne-louis-roederer-horses-vines-cellar-credit-eric-pgrabham\"](\"http:\/\/www.wineblogchina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/134741_champagne-louis-roederer-horses-vines-cellar-credit-eric-pgrabham.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n