Moves to legally protect ‘Hawke’s Bay’ wine

8 October 2012

Moves to legally protect ‘Hawke’s Bay’ wine

Only wine produced in the Bordeaux region in France can be called Bordeaux; likewise only sparkling wine made in Champagne can use this moniker; and soon Hawke’s Bay wines may have this same protection.

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc. members will soon be canvassed for their views on proposed geographical indications (GI) legislation that parent body, New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is keen to see introduced.

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers executive officer Lyn Bevin says that a recent strategic review of the national wine industry organisation identified there was need to protect and grow the reputation and position of New Zealand wine.

“We know that there is counterfeit Hawke’s Bay wine in overseas markets, China in particular, and so having legal redress will be very helpful, both as a deterrent and if need be, a stick.”

GIs are also a requirement for European Union and USA wine labels.

GIs are an indication that identifies a wine or spirit originating in a particular territory of a country or region where the quality, reputation or some other characteristic are essential and attributable to its geographical origin.

The proposed GI Act will create a process to register and protect GIs. It will legally define names and boundaries within New Zealand and international GIs. Use of the GI will not be compulsory and unregistered GIs will remain valid.

An initial presentation to Hawke’s Bay HBWG members by Professor Warren Moran, on GIs was well received and further consideration will be given to the idea.

“This was a really worthwhile forum for the region and the general feeling of those in attendance was to support an application to register Hawke’s Bay as a geographical indication using the official sanctioned regional government boundaries,” Ms Bevin says.

“Legal protection can then be provided by the umbrella designator of Hawke’s Bay and we remain with a simple and flexible geographic indication going forward.”

A big consideration for local winemakers and growers will be whether sub-regions such as Gimblett Gravels will be determined as a unique GI if they choose to register them as such, as well as registering ‘Hawke’s Bay’ as a legally protected GI.

Other questions posed by winegrowers at the forum included whether the French approach of defining areas to be excluded and imposing restrictions on what can and can’t be done, was likely. There was also discussion on how aromatics and Pinot Noir would fit should a red wine message be pushed for Hawke’s Bay.

Another was whether the GI would be compulsory and how other geographical names already in existence would be treated, and how far down the sub-regional route the region should go before opportunities and benefits were disadvantaged by fragmentation and division of resources.

Ms Bevin is now working on a report for consideration by the HBWG board.

ENDS

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