Monday, February 21, 2022

Dan Berger: Place Names

 When you buy a French Chablis, it will be made only from Chardonnay grapes grown in a small district in France, because that is required under French law. 

    Likewise, when you buy a Sancerre, it can only be a sauvignon blanc from the eastern Loire Valley; a Beaujolais can only be made from the Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc grape grown in a district of Burgundy, and a port only from Portuguese grape varieties and made in Portugal. 

    It has been about 15 years since the United States belatedly agreed to recognize such wine terms as protected place names because they are actual regions in Europe. It's kind of like "Parmigiano Reggiano," which can only be made in certain Italian districts, though "parmesan" is an Americanized version that's widely used -- and one that gourmets usually hate. 

    The controversy over place names still riles many Europeans, such as the many producers of cheddar cheese in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset where the cheese originated, using a proprietary process. Today the word cheddar is used around the world indiscriminately, much to the anger of Somersetians.

    One of the most interesting place name arguments involves Champagne, which can only come from that district in France. As such, it must be capitalized and cannot be used by wineries for new U.S. wines.

    Yet it is still used on wine labels of several U.S. wineries because of a curious series of historic events.

    The French long have claimed that several French place names had been unfairly usurped by U.S. wineries in the years before Prohibition and after, including Chablis and Burgundy. All of the American wineries using that term used it for blended red wines. 

    The French claimed (rightly) that not one American Chablis or Burgundy was anything remotely close to their French antecedents. Champagne also was widely used on U.S. wine labels for anything that had bubbles, further angering the French.

    France tried to outlaw these practices by international treaty in 1891 and later with a special clause in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which dealt with the end of the First World War. 

    However, President Woodrow Wilson's controversial efforts to set up the League of Nations ended with the United States never signing that treaty, although other nations did. Besides, by that time, the United States was just entering a zero-alcohol period (Prohibition), so the matter became moot.

    When Prohibition was lifted on Dec. 5, 1933, the French again toyed with the idea of trying to get Champagne stricken from use in the States, but by then the entire California wine business was in shambles, with only poor-quality grapes left in vineyards that had largely been left untended for 16 years. 

    Moreover, only one "Champagne" was being made in California in the 1930s -- by winery owner Paul Masson, a French expatriate, who started making it in 1892. It wouldn't be until the 1960s that sparkling wine making resumed in California. 

    And the French had other things on their mind, like the rebuilding of Europe after WWII, Communism, NATO, nuclear power... By contrast, California "Champagne" was too tiny a subject to worry about.

    It wasn't until 2006 that the French (and other European nations) resumed campaigns against misuse of their place names. 

    That led to a pact. The United States agreed to ban most French place names like Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy for all new wines -- but it grandfathered in the use of those names for wineries that had long-established brands using the terms.

    Among them was Sonoma County sparkling wine producer Korbel, which still can call its bubblies "California Champagne."

    Wine of the Week: 2020 Laetitia Chardonnay, Arroyo Grande Valley, Estate Bottled -- The aroma here is marked by citrus and delicate pear notes, a trace of oak aging, and an excellent mid-palate richness combined with good acidity for pairing with light fish dishes. Good value.

    To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too intellectual for me to make a comment.

Anonymous said...

OMG. is this Dan guy a moron? Did he just read a book on wine or something? Can’t wait to see what insightful information Ole Dan has for us next week. French Food and how the French beat Spain to the punch. Sushi, it’s raw fish, who knew? Seafood is actually from the ocean and why we should care. Wienerschnitzel Is not a German hotdog but could it be? I could have lots of fun with Dan. Lol

Anonymous said...

@6:09 PM
What exactly does “too intellectual” mean? I’ve pondered this question for the absolute longest time or ever since 10th grade where one day my Biology teacher asked the class if at least one student would stand and define the Law of Gravity? Well, as you can imagine, no one rushed to answer the question. So, feeling like it was the perfect time to improve her lack of attention, Deidre stood up. But just when she was about to open her mouth, Mrs. Powe yelled, “Sit down!”

“Why?” Deidre asked, shocked to hear the teacher’s raised voice.
Mrs. Powe frowned, “Cause you’re too ugly.”
The classroom erupted in laughter. No sooner than Deidre sunk into her chair, I stood and asked Mrs. Powe what did “too ugly” mean? She replied, “Everyone is ugly to someone. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As the case, beautiful qualities can and will be FOUND in everybody.”
She then closed her eyes, shook her head and turned her attention back to Deidre before ending, “But that child is ‘too ugly’ to even offer the time it takes to look.”

The classroom drowned in tears.

So, upon reading your comment, I wondered if perhaps you meant the same? Does “too intellectual” mean too much of a thing for the human brain to unpack?

Anonymous said...

Lmaoooo @2 comments

Anonymous said...

Found this very interesting. Thanks for posting this.

Shazam said...

Think of it in American terms: If France made a bottom of the barrel rotgut and called it Napa Valley Wine the vintners in Napa would be out of their minds mad. This is exactly what we have done to nearly every major wine region in the world. Chablis, Chianti, Burgundy, and Port are all cheap jug wines in America.

Anonymous said...

A smash sandwich is something you get in France KF.

Anonymous said...

"Think of it in American terms: If France made a bottom of the barrel rotgut and called it Napa Valley Wine the vintners in Napa would be out of their minds mad. This is exactly what we have done to nearly every major wine region in the world. Chablis, Chianti, Burgundy, and Port are all cheap jug wines in America."

There is so much wrong...and yet, surprisingly telling...in this. Among the biggies is that "Napa Valley Wine" is about as meaningful as "Wine," so while it would be an arguable mislabeling for "France" to do that ("France" doing it aside), no one who actually cared or knew the difference would be factually misled by such a label. Another is that anyone who knew or cared would actually be misled by labels with the words "Chianti" or "Port" on them. To be fair, the same is true of "Champagne," etc. However, the idea of protecting the use of terms, like trademarks, is reasonable - the infringed party cannot allow it because doing do could be considered an abandonment of the protected thing.

But let's not confuse the legal aspects with the reality on the ground - if you don't know what you are buying, be it wine, watches, fine forearms, art, or anything else - don't buy it. At the end of the day, it's a caveat emptor world out there. In Mississippi terms, putting "F250," "Superduty," and "6.7" on a 1990whatever Yugo sedan won't fool any potential buyers looking for the "real thing."


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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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This is definitely a Beaver production.


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There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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