Bordeaux wine to gain geographical indication status in China

Bordeaux wine is set to be protected as a registered geographical indication in China under the Provisions on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products.

The technical examination for the region’s application for the geographical indication (GI) was proceeded by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) early this month in Beijing. Bordeaux has a history of being the victim of wine forgery in the Chinese wine market.

At present, there are two different systems in China to protect the GI of wines; the Trademark Law and the Provisions on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products.

According to a document released by the IPR2 project, a partnership project between the European Union and China on the protection of intellectual property rights in China, ‘If appropriate, it is necessary to apply for the GI protection under different systems at the same time when the GI meets the requirements for registration under different legislations’ in order to ‘prevent a third party from dishonestly registering’.

Bordeaux was registered as a collective trademark at the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) in 2012. Last year, CIVB also registered 30 sub-regions in Bordeaux, including Saint-Julien, Saint-Estephe and Graves, as trademarks in China.

If the application to AQSIQ is granted, 501 winegrowing and winemaking communes in the Department of Gironde and 20 winemaking communes in the Deparment of Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne will be protected in China.

Valerie Descudet, press officer for CIVB, confirmed to DecanterChina.com that the process was ongoing, but refused to give comment before the official announcement of approval.

Cognac, Champagne and Napa Valley wines have already been granted the GI protection by AQSIQ in the past few years.