Leading wine industry bodies are calling on wine makers and grape growers to make sure their voice is heard in current trade negotiations with the European Union, by lodging their objections by 21 April.
Australian and the European Union (EU) are negotiating amendments to the existing Australia-European Community Agreement on Trade in Wine, as well as being engaged in ongoing negotiations for an AU-EU free trade agreement (FTA).
Of major contention, is the EU seeking protection for 50 new wine geographical indications (GIs), and again, protection for Prosecco and Vittoria.
The EU is also seeking updates to existing GIs and has requested six existing GIs in the Wine Agreemen be removed.
The Australian government is seeking submissions from the wine industry, stakeholders and the public to help inform its decisions to protect any of the GIs requested by the EU.
In February, the Australia Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) raised concerns about the EU threatening it would ban Australian companies that used product names protected under GIs, including parmesan, balsamic, feta, and kransky, from the FTA.
National association for grape and wine productions, Australian Grape & Wine, was urging “anyone with an interest in the grape variety Prosecco”, or the ongoing rights to use other grape variety terms, to make sure their voice was heard in the public objections process.
Australian Grape & Wine chief executive Lee McLean said maintaining the ability to use grape variety names was an essential element of rules-based trade and investment in the sector.
“It’s absolutely critical that Australian grape growers and winemakers submit their views to government through this public objections process. Prosecco is a grape variety just like shiraz or chardonnay,” said McLean.
Accolade Wines, which owns Grant Burge Prosecco, Yarraburn Prosecco and Swanning Around Prosecco, told Food & Drink Business it did not believe that Prosecco should be afforded protection as a Geographical Indications as part of any future Australia-EU FTA.
“Prosecco has long been popular in the Australian market and is widely known and loved by consumers. The fact is that Prosecco is unique grape variety, not a method or region as in the case of Champagne. It has a well-documented history as being regarded as a grape variety and we believe that Australian producers deserve the right to continue using it.
Our Prosecco brands including Grant Burge are experiencing strong growth. Australians do understand the excellent quality and identity of Australian-made Prosecco so any blurring of this or a new name would simply be confusing,” Accolade's spokesperson said.
The Australian wine community and interested stakeholders have until 12pm AEST, Friday 21 April 2023, to have their say in the government's public objections process. Stakeholders can lodge a submission based on the grounds of objection.
Submissions must be lodged online.
Online information sessions are being held at (all at AEST):
- 31 March at 2-3pm
- 4 April at 5-6pm
- 5 April at 12-1pm
The full list of all 55 applicable GIs, the four grounds of objection, and the webpage for submissions can be found here.
