SA port producers hit snag with EU

Port producers in South Africa will this year continue to export their products to all markets, except the European Union (EU) under the name port. This comes after an agreement between the EU and South Africa unravelled.

According to this agreement, local producers were supposed to stop using the name port for export this year to all markets. Despite the latest development, local port producers have also clinched a very important trademark deal with the EU.

South African port is still labelled as fortified wine for European markets, but the EU also wanted to lay claim to the words ruby, vintage and tawny - the style names for port variants. Strong resistance by local producers and government prevented this. It led to a specific trademark for local port wines.

Wine export trade agreement
The agreement would also have placed a total ban on the use of the name port by local producers, from 2012. The EU, however, believes the agreement is still in place. The local port industry was supposed to get 15 million euros from the EU as part of the wine export trade agreement. This money has not been forthcoming yet.

"Because of problems with the implementation of the agreement in South Africa, that money has not yet been made available... but that does not mean that it’s gone. South Africa has not lost it. We just have to make sure that all the hoops have been jumped through..." said Michael Mann, the European Commission agriculture spokesperson.

Attempts by the EU to lay claim to two famous South African wine trademarks, Nederburg and Roodeberg - because they closely resemble the names of wine growing areas in Europe - also failed.