China's protection of Bordeaux's wines to benefit Hong Kong traders
Recognition of Geographic Indication for Bordeaux wines will help with marketing and increase Chinese consumers' awareness of chateau names, say Hong Kong-based wine traders
Quite a few corks were doubtless pulled in celebration of the announcement, earlier this month, that after protracted lobbying China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine had finally granted Bordeaux wines Geographical Indication protection.
The announcement was strategically timed to coincide with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's state visit to France, and for both China and Bordeaux it clearly has symbolic significance.
For Bordeaux it signifies that the trademarks of the region are intellectual property, off-limits to the dodgy end of the Chinese wine trade.
For China, which recognises Geographical Indications on a quid pro quo basis, it is another important step to having more of its own Geographical Indications recognised internationally.
Grana Padano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma and Stilton cheese are all protected GIs in China, and the European Union reciprocally recognises Pinggu da Tao (peaches) and Dongshan Bai Lu Sun (asparagus) among others. Many more GIs are currently the subject of negotiations.
Despite having lobbied for its new status as an urgent priority since 2011, Bordeaux was not the first wine region to achieve it. That was California's Napa Valley, which gained the endorsement in 2012. Champagne also beat Bordeaux to the punch in 2013.
It is Bordeaux, however, with the special cachet in China of its top-end wines and the substantial exports also of its less expensive reds, that probably needs protection most.