The "Vin de Paille de Corrèze" AOC authorized and confirmed by the Council of State

Last August, in a previous article, we discussed the dispute between Corrèze and Jura over the straw wine appellation. For several years now, the Jura Wine Society and the Corrèze Wine Federation have been at odds over the use of this designation. An initial ruling by the Council of State in 2014 found in favor of Jura producers, prohibiting the use of the term "vin paillé" on Corrèze bottles. Following this, winegrowers in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine department created an AOC to produce it legally. However, this appellation was also contested by Jura professionals, who filed a request with the Council of State to have it canceled. After weeks of waiting, a verdict favorable to the Corrèze producers was handed down on Thursday, November 7, 2019, putting an end—in theory—to this dispute.

An appellation deemed to comply with the European definition of straw wine

A few days ago, the Council of State ruled that the Corrèze AOC, created in 2017, met the criteria set out in European regulations and that its prior existence – also contested by Jura producers – was sufficient. According to AFP, the Council of State ruled that "the Jura Wine Society has no grounds to request the annulment of the decree it is challenging." As a result, the term "vin de paille" (straw wine) may be used on bottles of sweet wine from Corrèze. The decision was applauded by the Corrèze Wine Federation and its president, Jean Mage, who explained that "people will now be able to invest in this new AOC, because until now, it was still uncertain." He also hopes that this ruling will boost sales and attract new winegrowers to compensate for those who are retiring.

A decision that displeases the Jura Wine Society

For the Jura Wine Society, this ruling on November 7, 2019, is not good news. The very next day, it said it was "stunned," "very surprised," and did not understand it. Its president, Nicolas Caire, also stated that they would look into whether they could defend themselves at the European level, noting that "the public rapporteur had requested the annulment." He also added that "the straw wine, historically, it's here, not in Corrèze," hoping that consumers will not be fooled. Nevertheless, thanks to this decision, Corrèze, which produces 50,000 bottles of sweet wine each year (compared to 200,000 in the Franche-Comté department), will be able to include the words "vin de paille" on its labels.