Remind me again about the origins of zinfandel

I guess it is allowed because France’s AOC is really about “place”, and the undisclosed amount of Auxerrois allows the winemaker to produce a given style of “Pinot Blanc” that is Alsace. This ruling is not a “two-way” thing. (It cannot be applied to Auxerrois labelled wines).

Salute

If =<15% of anothervariety is allowed ina avrietally labelled wine then why not Auxerrois in P Blanc, and vice versa

Strangely, in the first document linked to I cannot see Primitivo listed:-
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... 01&from=EN

Maybe I am misintrepreting what you say, but it is not listed is because that document pre-dates the one that says Primitivo should be added. I would be nice to have an updated document, but I don't think that is how things work.

No, you're not misinterpreting. I was expressing surprise that Primitivo, such an important variety in Puglia, should have been forgotten to be listed in the firts place.

For all Quality wines produced from a Specific Region the regions governing body rules and regulations comes first. If a Bordeaux Chateau decides to label his/her wine as “Cabernet Sauvignon” could it still be classified as an AOC Bordeaux wine?

Salute

. If a Bordeaux Chateau decides to label his/her wine as “Cabernet Sauvignon” could it still be classified as an AOC Bordeaux wine?

I'm not which question what you're asking. There are AOC Bordeaux's that name the grape varieties used, and there are mono-variety AOC Bordeaux

No, you're not misinterpreting. I was expressing surprise that Primitivo, such an important variety in Puglia, should have been forgotten to be listed in the firts place.

But there are many missing varieties. Only those with approved synonyms are in the document, and Zinfandel was not allowed then.

If a Bordeaux Chateau decides to label his/her wine as “Cabernet Sauvignon” could it still be classified as an AOC Bordeaux wine?

Yes. It has been allowed for 10-15 years or so. But I don't think that was always the case. Same applies for Pinot Noir and Burgundy.

If =<15% of anothervariety is allowed ina avrietally labelled wine then why not Auxerrois in P Blanc, and vice versa

Less that 15% Auxerrois in "Pinot Blanc" labelled wine is certainly absolutely fine as far as the EU is concerned. But according to the Alsace AOC regulations, Alsace Pinot Blanc could be 100% Auxerrois, and in practice it is often is a very large proportion.

I suspect another EU document proclaims that this is legally OK as an exception. Alternatively it might not be allowed, but is nevertheless tolerated.

The vice-versa aspect is not allowed according to the AOC regulations - wine labelled "Auxerrois" must be 100% of that variety - but otherwise would be fine by the EU.

No, you're not misinterpreting. I was expressing surprise that Primitivo, such an important variety in Puglia, should have been forgotten to be listed in the firts place.

But there are many missing varieties. Only those with approved synonyms are in the document, and Zinfandel was not allowed then.

Yes, I ,issed that first time around, thats what the paragraph 12.1 that refers to the Annex says.

I was led astray by the large number of varieties from other countries (e.g. Spain & Portugal) that are listed in the Annex without synonyms, and under Italy Rosola alone doesn't show a synonym.

Thanks for the info on Alsace regulations. Wasn't so long ago Pinot B was Tokay d'Alsace ...

See what you mean Peter. It is more confusing than I thought. The text refers to that annex only as a list of approved synonyms, and yet many varieties there do not have a synonym. But neither is it a complete list of allowed varieties.

If you are up for more Alsace variety pedantry, see my blog post of Dec 12th last year. Writing that is what alerted to seeming discrepancies with EU regs.

Thanks, Steve

Your post is very interesting and well written. Indeed, just like all your blog entries.

Thanks for the info on Alsace regulations. Wasn't so long ago Pinot B was Tokay d'Alsace ...

No, that was Pinot gris, wasn't it?

Cheers
/Anders

Ah, I remember it well

Yes, of course.

The alsacewine.net web site simply states that in Alsace “Pinot Blanc” instead of representing a grape variety refers to any white wine made without skin-contact from a grape belonging to the Pinot family of grapes or a close relative. Recent DNA research suggests Auxerrois and Chardonnay may be siblings, (like Chardonnay at one time it was known with Pinot attached to it.

Salute

The alsacewine.net web site simply states that in Alsace “Pinot Blanc” instead of representing a grape variety refers to any white wine made without skin-contact from a grape belonging to the Pinot family of grapes or a close relative.

Yes I am aware of that, and it is wrong. In fact it was one of several incorrect or misleading statements I found, online and in books, that lead me to write my own guide to Alsace varieties and labelling - based on what the AOC spec actually says.
http://www.winenous.co.uk/wp/archives/9374

It was only after I had finished it that I discovered that Wikipedia is pretty good on the topic too, which confirmed my sanity.