The Occitane wine sector or why the South of France brand could soon disappear from wine bottles
Professionals are up in arms against the removal of this logo created in 2006.
The Sud de France brand is everywhere, in Occitania. A multitude of fruits, vegetables, meats, jams, cookies, sweets, honeys or wines made in the region are stamped with its inescapable logo. Created in 2006 by Georges Frêche, then president of Languedoc-Roussillon, the brand had the challenge of identifying more clearly, especially on the international market, the products manufactured in the area. Especially, of course, wines. But the prefecture no longer hears it that way. Because this name is far too vague, and does not correspond ... to anything concrete.
"The European regulations relating to the wine sector reserve the use of a geographical indication only to the labels of wines benefiting from a PDO [Protected Designation of origin] or a PGI whose specifications provide for the specific reference to a geographical unit larger than that of the PDO or the PGI," explain the services of the prefecture of Occitanie.
Occitane wine sector
However, "the name South of France does not correspond to a geographical area in the regulatory sense and it is therefore not possible to integrate it into the specifications of the AOP or IGP concerned, continue the State services. By definition, the Sud de France brand cannot be used on wine labels without a geographical indication either. "To summarize, annotating a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) on the bottles, yes. "South of France," no.
Viticulture professionals, on the other hand, are up in arms against this decision. It would be dramatic, they assure, to no longer display the South of France brand on the labels of wine bottles, as it has contributed to the success of regional vintages. "Many markets, especially for export, have been developed thanks to this brand," wrote, on August 17, a dozen presidents of wine unions and protected geographical indications, in a letter to the prefect of Occitanie.
"The abrupt cessation of the brand would be incomprehensible for our partners in France and abroad and for our consumers, explain these professionals. The image issue is major (...) The significant financial efforts of the region to deploy the notoriety of this brand have made it possible to consolidate the voluntary investments of marketers.
Occitane wine sector details
The sudden removal of the Sud de France brand from labels would represent a waste of public and private funds, would cause a loss of value for the wine industry in the region and marketing and logistics costs for changing labels for many companies. »
"How can I explain to a customer from Houston, in the United States, that for 15 years, it has been written Sud de France on our labels, and that it must now be removed? ", asks Denis Verdier, the president of the IGP Sud de France at the Interprofessional Council of Languedoc wines. For this professional, this mark is essential, and complementary to protected geographical indications. "This client, what do you want him to know about IGP Hérault, IGP Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, or IGP Pont-du-Gard? ", he continues. "We're going to keep fighting. »
Occitane wine sector facts
Politicians, too, are rebelling. Carole Delga (PS), the president of the Occitanie region, sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture to clarify the damage to viticulture that the removal of this small logo on the bottles would constitute. Several senators also sent a missive to the ministry.
In front of this bronca, however, the prefect agreed, on August 24, to set up "support for the profession by the state services", in a transition phase "by the 2023 vintage". A working group with professionals and the prefecture has been created. They will meet after the harvest, during the month of September. But, unless there is a reversal of the situation, the presence of the Sud de France brand on the bottles seems well and truly doomed.
Language Model Dialogue Applications
Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde