Wines of the world
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Winemaker Maxime Chapoutier would be arrested if he tried to sell two of his newest wines in his native France.
"There would likely be outrage about these wines in France, and that would be a good thing," he says. "Sometimes you need to be provocative to drive change."
The two bottles in question, one white and one red, would be illegal in France because they are made from a blend of French and Australian base wines.
Under both French and European Union law it is forbidden to make a wine that combines EU and non-EU fruit. In France in particular, authorities take such things very seriously.
The French wine industry has a celebrated word called "terroir", which applies to all the environmental factors that affect vines growing in a vineyard, such the soil, the climate, and the elevation. As a result, wines from a specific place are held in the highest esteem.
Add a strict appellation or classification system for France's wine regions, and the thought of blending French and Australian wine to create a global hybrid would horrify many French wine lovers.
Yet Maxime has done just this, and it is all thanks to one word - Brexit..
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It also prompts the old saying about bringing coals to Newcastle.
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Indeed. being pretty well versed in the world's wines, I fail to see how blending that way, especially considering the transportation involved, will produce a product superior to those available today. In a world heading toward carbon neutrality this seems frivolous.
