Imitation Chablis has been put under the spotlight in an Ernst & Young-conducted report commissioned by France’s Chablis producers.
The report reveals the worldwide market for imitation Chablis as representing between 1.3 and 1.6m hectolitres annually, the vast majority of it produced and sold in the US.
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The relative abundance of cheap, US low quality grape, generic Chablis (all retailing at below US$4 a bottle) stands in stark contrast to a timid performance of the true Chablis trade of which only 3.5% (6,531 hl) of its total exports head for America.
“As things stand, it is the producers of fake Chablis who are reaping the benefits of the investment in marketing and communication made by the producers of the genuine article,” France’s Chablisiens argue, proud of their AOC label.
“For this reason, the Chablis growers and the (trade association) BIVB, are actively pursuing communication and protection initiatives designed to ensure a proper return where it is due and an end to abusive practices on the world market.”
The main “fake” Chablis producers in the US are Constellation, which itself has six brands, Gallo (five) and the Wine Group (one).
One positive development for French Chablis is that fake volumes have fallen by more than 50% since 1989. The overall drop is largely due to the success of quality wines (especially of varietals in the US and Australia, the report suggests. It could also be down to changes in regulatory policy and agreements reached between the countries involved (eg Australia) and the EU concerning the use of place names.
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