Many wine regions are very keen to protect their name. It is also becoming increasingly common for other things: cheese, ham, chicken and even a certain kind of lace (no not that kind) have protected names through ‘appellation controllée’ or similar.
The most fanatic name protectors are the champenois who have fought a name battle for long. Five famous names have now banded together and created what they call “Discover the Origin”. It is primarily a site with information about the five products: burgundy wine, port, wine from the Douro Valley, Parma ham, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (parmesan cheese). They are running the campaign, and sharing information, recipes, and various sort of information on their new site: www.discovertheorigin.co.uk
