Brussels, 06/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - Opening a sustained attack on the blending of red and white wines to produce rosés, as proposed by the European Commission, Luxembourg Social Democrat Astrid Lulling, in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening, railed against the unfair competition that could harm the European producers who, over the last few decades, have worked to improve the quality of rosé wines. She called on the Commission to take the time to make a further assessment and to work with the sector. Patrick Louis (IND/DEM, France) was scathing of this “heresy that will kill European winemakers” and whose only purpose is to use up the increasing production of third countries. “It is essential to ban blending before 7 June!” he exclaimed. Anne Lapperouze (ALDE, France), quoting Pierre Dac, asked the commissioner why she had not yet considered grafting rose bushes onto vines to make natural rosé. “Wine is not just an agricultural product. It is part of our culture and traditions,” said Cristiana Muscardini (Alleanza Nazionale, Italy), adding “there can be no quality without tradition”. The proposed new practices carry with them a risk for quality and perhaps, too, for health, she went on, arguing that if we continued along this path, we would end up accepting the addition of water, artificial flavours and other “little alchemists' tricks”. Shaking a bottle containing water and beetroot juice, another form of rosé for the future, French Socialist Gilles Savary attacked the “food counterfeiting” that the Barroso Commission was seeking to bring into Europe. The fifth of world production that comes from blending “must not bring (all the rest) to its knees,” he said. These kinds of blends had to be given a name, he added, suggesting, “Call them plonk, that'll be just about right for the quality of the product”.
“There is no definition of rosé wine, either in the EU or in international organisations,” argued Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel before citing the example of pink champagne which is made from blending wines from white and black grapes (she omitted to say that champagnes are themselves the product of several types of vine, with whites being allowed to contain wines from black grapes, and, with the exception of vintage wines, of wines from grapes picked in different years: Ed.). She went on to note that, in an indicative vote, a number of member states, including France, backed lifting the ban on blending. The commissioner called for a vote in the regulatory committee so that the new practices could come into effect from 1 August. She did not see the need for further assessments and stated that traditional registered designation rosés would not be in competition with blended table wines. Furthermore, the Commission was proposing labelling options: traditional rosé and blended rosé.
Her comments did nothing to appease Agnès Schierhuber (EPP, Austria) who argued that blending was “not a winemaking procedure”. Speaking of a “heritage under threat”, Alessandro Battilocchio (PES, Italy) was concerned that the quality of European production could fall. “We already have chocolate with no cocoa … we almost had chlorinated chicken, and now we are going to have white wine coloured with red,” railed Jean-Claude Martinez (non-attached, France), speaking of a “cultural mugging”. “I am very angry after hearing what you have said. It is quite unacceptable for blending to be allowed,” said Françoise Grossetête (UMP, France). She said that this “blended wine” was “an insult to winegrowers”. “We have been producing wine in my country for 3000 years,” said Greek Social Democrat Ioannis Gklavakis, fearing that “the image of European wine will be tarnished”, although “adding sawdust and sugar” is already allowed.
Despite further harangues by Lulling, who asked the commissioner what had got into her for her to bring forward such a proposal, Grossetête, who reproached her for “turning a deaf ear to all arguments”, and Savary, who accused her of “surrender to everything that comes from elsewhere”, Fischer Boel said she thought that hers was “a balanced approach” allowing European producers to compete with blended foreign wines which are allowed by the OIV (International Organisation of the Vine and Wine). It will be for member states to decide whether they want any indication on the label that the wine is blended. (O.J./transl.rt)