Court: Sorbet can be called ‘Champagne’ if it tastes like it

BRUSSELS – The European Union’s top court has ruled that if a sorbet really tastes like Champagne, it can be called that.

Just in time for the festive season, the European Court of Justice ruled on a case involving France’s august and protective CIPV committee of Champagne producers, which sought a ban on the German Aldi chain selling “Champagne Sorbet” in its supermarkets.

Even though the court left the ultimate decision to a German court, it did say that the name could be used if the icy treat “has, as one of its essential characteristics, a taste attributable primarily to Champagne.”

Aldi’s Champagne Sorbet contains 12 per cent Champagne. The court said that the quantity of the bubbly itself “is a significant but not, in itself, sufficient factor.”