“South”, a promising word commercially, but too geographically confusing
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The “laisser-faire” will have lasted for many years but the prefect of the Occitanie region, Etienne Guyot, has decided to put an end to an anomaly. On July 25, he banged his fist on the table and asked winemakers in the region to no longer write “Sud de France” on their labels. This “umbrella brand”, created by the thunderous former president of the region Georges Frêche in 2006, succeeded, in fifteen years, in uniting the actors of wine in Languedoc. At the time, Mr. Frêche presided over the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which has since been merged with Midi-Pyrénées to form Occitanie. “Toulouse is the South-West; Marseille and Nice are the South-East, we are the South”, he said at the launch of the brand.
However, “the name “Sud de France” does not correspond to a geographical area in the regulatory sense, and it is therefore not possible to include it in the specifications of the AOP [appellation d’origine protégée] or PGI [indication géographique protégée] »explains in his letter sent to the wine actors the prefect, who did not respond to the requests of the World. In particular, it cannot be used in labelling. The umbrella brand can be used for exhibitions or promotional operations, but not for individual use on each product.
Georges Frêche and the professionals knew that, legally, the mention “Sud de France” did not hold water, but they all turned their backs, as this mark allowed them to move forward. Stimulated by the success in wine, the brand will even be used for other regional products, food or not, even buildings, such as the Sud de France station in Montpellier. Everything, or almost everything, could become “South of France”.
Today, 7,000 wines using this label will have to modify their label under penalty of a fine (1,500 euros), or seizure of bottles intended for export. However, the legal context has not changed.
“We are not going to play the rebels”
Two elements have probably changed the situation. On the one hand, the European Union is in the process of reviewing its regulations on the labeling of PDOs or PGIs, which for the moment prohibits the addition of another mark on the labels. “It would not be absurd if the new regulation allows PDOs or PGIs to also mention a regional brand”believes Irène Tolleret, MEP (Renaissance-Renew Europe), rapporteur of the text on geographical designations for her political group.
The amendments will be examined at the end of 2022 for a regulation which will be adopted at the end of 2023. The State could decide to comply now, to have a chance that Europe hears these arguments in the coming months.
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