At Least One Good Reason For Having The EU.

It's fun when French sacred cows get barbecued. This is almost a year old, but fun:

French and Italian wine producers are getting a taste of their own medicine from those sassy newcomers. The Hungarians, producers of the traditional Tokaj wine have demanded that the Alsacians stop calling one of their wines Tokay. This is particularly painful, since France is, as the Wall Street Journal Europe puts it, “the pioneer in protecting geographical names associated with produce, such as Champagne and Cognac”.

The world-famous, centuries-old Tokaj is, indeed, produced in the Tokaj region in northern Hungary. It is also true that Hungarian grapes were planted in Alsace by Lazare de Schwendi a Germanic (or possibly Hungarian) general in the 1560s, thus initiating the fine tradition of Alsatian wines. But the Pinot Gris wine that still bears the name Tokay on it is no longer made from the Furmint grapes but from different Burgundian ones. Still, the name Tokay sounds good. Unfortunately, it will have to be dropped. In 1993 the EU gave Hungary the right of it and allowed a 13 year transition period, which will expire in 2006.

More here.

Comments

[Neal]

Whether they change the name or not its a great wine and worth a tasting if you ever get the chance.

[Daniel]

Oh yes, I have had Tokaj and to my taste it is every bit as wonderful as the best sauternes.