Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-15-Speech-4-177"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060615.27.4-177"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, although wine is a product originating from specific regions, it is bought and sold throughout the world, and it is for that reason that an international framework is required to lay down oenological practices and ensure international competitiveness. We all know about the special way of enriching wines in Barriques; it is an old tradition, but one justified by the fact that storage in wooden barrels has a positive effect on the wine’s maturation process.
However, the techniques used for storing wine are not static. As we strive to use the best practices in developing wines in line with consumers’ expectations, new knowledge and new possibilities become available to us, and these are being used in countries outside the European Union.
It is at this point that I ask myself the question as to how we value tradition on the one hand and modern practices on the other. None of us would want, in this day and age, to still be travelling around by horse and cart. I do not think that the one should exclude the other, but we are losing our certainties. Mr Castiglione’s question about the practical legal aspects of allowing the use of wood chips and of labelling is the right one to ask.
I think we need to take care that our wine labels do not end up being turned into the sort of leaflets that we get with medicines. What consumers want is bottles that look nice, with the most important information clearly visible. The labelling issue is a tricky one, one that I think is best dealt with at the national or regional level, as it should be. It cannot be the European Union’s function to regulate everything right down to the tiniest detail, or we will end up with the sort of thing with which we are familiar in the context of the labelling of allergenic substances, with demands being made for labelling in every conceivable language.
It must also be clear to us that it is not possible to monitor what is done with barriques or wood chips. Where its maturation in barriques or with the addition of wood chips is concerned, wine is a regional product, and the question of objections on health grounds does not arise here. Wine has been matured in wood for many generations, and its effects on health are still not a matter of dispute."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples