Saying that champagne only comes from Champagne is like saying that manila file folders only come from the Philippines. According to the source below, the modern version of champagne wasn’t even invented there.
This video looks at champagne’s beginnings, its modern invention, its history in California and other places and how it became French.
It’s where marketing meets intellectual property laws.
One thing that the video does not mention is that even French winemakers were harmed by the legal efforts from the Champagne region. Former champagnes are now French varietals that no one has heard of, such as Crémant d’Alsace.
Have you seen marketing define a product? Let us know in the comments.
oxford sparkling cider and the methode champenoise, by James Crowden
https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/article/oxford-sparkling-cider-and-the-methode-champenoise
This video is not sponsored.
Photo Credits
All photos are promotional materials, except as stated below.
A bottle of red Coteaux Champenois wine e_calamar, CC BY 2.0
“BALIOL COLLEGE – OXFORD UNIVERSITY” by summonedbyfells is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Plaza de Colón (Madrid) 02” by Luis García is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.
William Orpen – The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles 1919, Public Domain
“5 December 1933: U.S. Prohibition Ends!” by Thomas Cizauskas is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.