California Chablis? No Such Thing, Europeans Say
Published on July 27, 2003
Is it Roquefort if it is not from Roquefort, France? Is it Chianti if it is not from Chianti, Italy?
The European Union says no, and has had laws for years reserving the use of many such geographic indications exclusively to farmers and producers in the associated places. But many countries outside the union have treated the terms as generic descriptions and allowed their own producers to use them freely, and, in some cases, even register them as trademarks.