Appellazione da Origine Controllata

[Svartalf]

whereas, here, you have to check out what varieties are allowed for which wine to beat what appellation... here, geographical appellation is the rule.

It is kind of a trap, as some varieties that might help make better wine are simply forbidden for a givent Area of Origin, for instance, Mourvèdre, is one of the best varieties to make wines that will keep long, but you'll never see any in Bordeaux or Burgundy wines, because it simply is not on the allowed roster... and of course, to use it, you'd have to renounce your AOC classification, and lose a lot of money in the process.

[JimC]

whereas, here, you have to check out what varieties are allowed for which wine to beat what appellation... here, geographical appellation is the rule.

Certainly the region is very important here as well, especially when talking generally. One may speak of Hunter Valley Semillon, Barossa Shiraz, Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, Coonawarra Cabernet etc.

[Hermit]

actually not...

Looks like I need to clarify: The type of wine I used to buy that came in bottles labelled "Claret" was made using the same grapes that I now buy in bottles labelled "Cabernet Sauvignon".

[JimC]

In Melbourne, footy commentators use the term "claret" as a euphemism for blood spilled during play...

[Svartalf]

actually not...

Looks like I need to clarify: The type of wine I used to buy that came in bottles labelled "Claret" was made using the same grapes that I now buy in bottles labelled "Cabernet Sauvignon".

I thought that 'claret' was a name for Bordeaux wines (which were often sold as "Clairet" light wine before we learned the secrets of making them last more than a year in the bottle); obviously, if your cabernet was claret before switching names, it's not what I thought it was.

[Hermit]

actually not...

Looks like I need to clarify: The type of wine I used to buy that came in bottles labelled "Claret" was made using the same grapes that I now buy in bottles labelled "Cabernet Sauvignon".

I thought that 'claret' was a name for Bordeaux wines (which were often sold as "Clairet" light wine before we learned the secrets of making them last more than a year in the bottle); obviously, if your cabernet was claret before switching names, it's not what I thought it was.

The grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, is an accidental hybrid and originated in the Bordeaux region. A lot of that wine was exported to England as "a Bordeaux" and the labels were anglicised from "Clairet" to "Claret" precisely because it held well. Eventually that happy variety of grape made its way to Western Australia and South Australia, where it became quite popular and was sold as "a Claret" until using that name was forbidden.

This is of course not saying that the wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Australia are identical to the ones made in Bordeaux. Utter nonsense indeed. Soil and climate create differences. That is why a Cabernet Sauvignon from one vineyard in McLaren Vale differs from that of another in the same valley and both differ from year to year.

[Hermit]

We had to change the names of our home-grown Port and Sherry! Damn foreigners!

Strangely enough, we did not.

[JimC]

Well that's rather strange - certainly many wineries did change (Solera instead of Sherry, for example), and I have certainly read that the change was forced by international pressure. Perhaps the examples you have pictured are from before the change, or they are rebels...

[Scot Dutchy]

They do but I forget the term.

Rum I think it is a good thing. Fete from Denmark can never be Greek even with the wildest imagination.

We have ‘Cornish brie’, ‘irish Cheddar’ and all the rest, though some brands are protected of course as per (currently) EU regs. It does seem a bit of a messy and inconsistent system though.

I think the the public needs to be sure of the ‘real thing’ like Parma ham and the like, but I have long been suspicious that the apparent obsession with regional food and other produce in France in particular rigs the market. I don’t personally mind as food is still relatively cheap there and wonderful of course. Visiting a large supermarket, let alone a local market is a pleasure compared to here.

Nothing beats Brussel supermarkets. The one in Woluwé shopping centre in the east of Brussel was just amazing. It was a hyper-market but the choice. The Belge are really fussy shoppers and are willing to pay. You did not see any special offers only offers of variety.