Champagnes and Sparkling Wines – The Trade Name Issue

Even though producers are technically not allowed to call their sparkling wines ‘Champagne’ unless they have been produced in the region of Champagne, France; most of the general public call sparking wines ‘Champagne’ anyways.

Truthfully, before I started becoming more interested in wines, I thought bubbly wines were all called champagne. I never really paid attention to the labels. At liquor stores, I would ask for champagne. The merchants would call it champagne. Everyone was happy.

Now that I have discovered that the only products allowed to call their bubbly ‘champagne’ were the ones from the region with the same name, I get a little laugh when I read the labels. Trademarks and copyrights are strange things, and they sometimes cause confusion.

Other products suffer the same misconceptions. I thought ‘kleenex’ was the name for all tissues to blow our noses on. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I discovered that ‘Kleenex’ was in fact a trade name. The same goes for ‘jello’ and ‘pliers’.

I realize that the name of champagne evolved in the same way. The product from the town became renowned, and became the name associated with bubbly wine. After a while, everyone called sparkling wines ‘champagne’ – and thus began the confusion.

Many people will go their whole lives without realizing the truth. And I say ‘good for them’. There is no reason to think differently. The truth is that keeping the trade name sacred to the area doesn’t really give the area any advantage over the ‘sparkling wines’ on the market; at least not to the majority of consumers who are clueless to the discrepancy. If you are a wine connoisseur, you probably know the difference. It may have an influence on your purchasing decisions. But most oenophiles would know the reputation of the sparkling wines from that region anyways, and buy according to the quality they desire.

Should the producers in the Champagne area be upset by the misconception? I don’t believe so. It was the high quality of their products which contributed to the name becoming so well known. It is a testament to their products, and they should take it as a compliment.