Protecting the name Champagne
Court rulings from 1887 to 2021
The name Champagne has been defended in court since 1887, when the Angers Court of Appeal ruled that it means only wine from the Champagne region.1 Later rulings protected it abroad, against "Spanish Champagne" in London in 1960, and against the "Champanillo" bars at the EU Court of Justice in 2021.1
Key decisions
| Year | Body | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 | Angers Court of Appeal | "Champagne" refers only to wine from the region1 |
| 1919 | French law of 6 May | Wine appellations can never be considered generic2 |
| 1927 | French law of 22 July | Name reserved for wine made sparkling by fermentation in bottle within the Champagne viticole3 |
| 1936 | AOC recognition, 29 June | Champagne becomes an appellation d'origine contrôlée4 |
| 1960 | English High Court | Ruling against a sparkling wine sold as "Spanish Champagne"1 |
| 2021 | Court of Justice of the EU | Ruling against the "Champanillo" tapas bars1 |
1887: Angers
The first court victory came in France. In 1887 Champagne producers obtained a ruling from the Angers Court of Appeal that "Champagne" refers exclusively to wine from the region.1 The region's legal boundary came later, with the decree of 17 December 1908 (see how Champagne got its borders).3
1919 and 1927: the name in French law
The law of 6 May 1919 stated that wine appellations can never be considered generic.2 The law of 22 July 1927 then reserved the name for wine made sparkling by fermentation in bottle, harvested and fully made within the Champagne viticole.3 The same law allowed other bottle-fermented wines to use the words "méthode champenoise", and required tank-fermented wines to be labelled "vins mousseux produits en cuve close".3 On 29 June 1936 Champagne was recognised as an AOC.4
1960: "Spanish Champagne" in London
In 1960 the British High Court ruled against a sparkling wine sold in Great Britain as "Spanish Champagne".1 It was an early ruling in favour of the name outside France.
2021: "Champanillo"
In 2021 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against the use of the name "Champanillo" by tapas bars in Spain.1 The case concerned bars, not wine: protection reached services whose names evoke Champagne.1
Other sparkling wines, their own names
Other regions built names of their own. The name Cava first appeared in an official document in 1959, and the Regulatory Council of Sparkling Wines approved it in 1972.5 In South Africa the term Cap Classique has been used since 1992.6 See Cava and Cap Classique, and the history of other regions.
See also
Sources
- Comité Champagne (champagne.fr). Champagne and its history
- Frise chronologique: 90 ans des signes officiels de qualité (INAO timeline) (2025-09)
- WIPO (BIRPI journal archive). La Propriété industrielle, September 1927 (reproduces the French law of 22 July 1927 completing the law of 6 May 1919) (1927-09)
- Comité Champagne (champagne.fr). The Champagne designation
- Consejo Regulador DO Cava. Cava history
- Cap Classique Producers Association home page
Facts checked on 2026-10-19