Originally Posted by
3Cforme
This issue has spent some time in the courts. Parmasan doesn't have to come from Parma, either, when served at a hotel in Washington, DC.
Yes, as I say,
within the EU some of these products are protected, for instance Melton Mowbray pork pies have to be made in the town of Melton Mowbray. Champagne has to be made in the Champagne region in france, and Parmesan cheese made in the Parma area. On the other hand Cornish pasties don't have to be made in Cornwall...
In reality the protection really only helps those names synonymous with a type of product, Champange is used as another word for sparkling wine, another example is Stilton which is totally synonymous with blue cheese!
You would certainly have a valid complaint if staying in the EU and a package offering Champagne brought you a bottle which did not fill all these criteria:-
1. White wine; and
2. Sparkling; and
3. Produced in the Champagne area
However the EU writ does not run to the US or Canada, and I know you have your own rules on this, which I think are very much non-rules, namely anything in the style of something can be called in that name, reagrdless of the source, so Arkansas "Champagne", Texan "Parmesan" and Ontario "Stilton" are all (laughably) possible!!
I do know these romance packages are offered in the EU, and if I book one and find out they're not offering genuine French Champagne, there will be hell to pay, as the punishments for such misdescriptions in these parts are swingeing and vigorously enforced!