New Zealand Introduces Geographical Indications for 18 of its Wine Regions

Monday, 14 August, 2017
Wine Enthusiast, Christina Pickard
Move to protect intellectual property comes as one winery is charged with fraudulent labeling.

From a country that exports 66 percent of its wine, New Zealand has taken a step towards added protection and promotion of a product that generates NZ$1.57 billion (US$1.16 billion) annually for the country. It announced it intends to register 18 of its wine regions under The Geographical Indication (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act.

The main incentive for the move is to protect each wine region’s collective intellectual property by securing a formal Geographical Indication (GI). The move protects a region’s name from being used elsewhere.

“Geographical Indications are now recognized internationally as the way of conceptualizing wine regions,” New Zealand Winegrowers Acting CEO Jeffrey Clarke told Beverage Industry Enthusiast. “Having a formal registration system in New Zealand will also make it much easier for us to register our GIs within other countries’ GI registration systems.”

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