The European Union (EU) granted Protected Geographical Status to Willamette Valley.
The action “offers legal security and added protection in Europe and worldwide against fraudulent wines and outside producers looking to profit from the revered Willamette Valley name. As wine regions develop global recognition for quality, their success often carries with it the threat of tangential producers looking to capitalize on their marketing cachet, Willamette Valley Wineries Association, a trade group, said.
“As a registered Protected Geographical Indication, the Willamette Valley name is secured throughout the EU market of 27 countries counting 450 million consumers. Any operator seeking to sell non-originating wine using the registered Oregon name, or using labelling devices to evoke ‘Willamette Valley’ in the mind of the consumer will be stopped,” said Stavros Lambrinidis.
He added, “for the EU consumer, the PGI is the guarantee of authenticity: that every bottle meets the quality standard set by the Willamette producers.”
The federal AVA system focuses solely on wine growing regions, without attention to other agricultural products’ name registrations and protections, as included by EU Geographical Indications, WVWA said.