Young Curly Brunette Girl In A White Chemise Celebrating With Champagne In The Room With An Antique Table, Chairs And Curtains

There are many sparkling wines produced worldwide, yet most legal structures reserve the term "champagne" exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne region, made in accordance with Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne regulations. In the European Union and many other countries, the name Champagne is legally protected by the Treaty of Madrid (1891) designating only the sparkling wine produced in the eponymous region and adhering to the standards defined for it as an Appellation d'origine contrôlée; the right was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. This legal protection has been accepted by numerous other countries worldwide. Most recently Canada, Australia, and Chile signed agreements with Europe that will limit the use of the term "champagne" to only those products produced in the Champagne region. The United States acknowledges the exclusive nature of the "champagne" term and bans the use from all new US produced wines. Only those that had approval to use the term on labels before 2006 may continue to use it and only when it is accompanied by the wine's actual origin (e.g. California).
The majority of US-produced sparkling wines do not use the term "champagne" on their labels. In the US, name protection of wine growing place names is becoming more important. Several key US wine regions such as those in California (Napa, Sonoma Valley, Paso Robles), Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington, now view the remaining semi-generic labels as harmful to their reputations (c.f. Napa Declaration on Place).
Even the term méthode champenoise or champagne method was forbidden consequent to an EU court decision in 1994. As of 2005, the description most often legally used for sparkling wines not from Champagne yet using the second fermentation in the bottle process is méthode traditionnelle. Sparkling wines are produced worldwide, and many producers use special terms to define them: Spain uses cava, Italy designates it spumante, and South Africa uses cap classique. An Italian sparkling wine made from the muscat grape uses the DOCG asti. In Germany, Sekt is a common sparkling wine. Other French wine regions cannot use the name Champagne: e.g., Burgundy and Alsace produce Crémant. Sparkling wines mislabeled Champagne can be and often are seized and destroyed by legal authorities.
Regardless of the legal requirements for labeling, extensive education efforts by the Champagne region and the use of alternative names by non-Champagne quality sparkling wine producers, some consumers and wine sellers continue to regard champagne as a generic term for white sparkling wines, regardless of origin. The laws described above are intended to reserve the term as a designation of origin.