France Doubles Down on Sparkling Wine Rampage, Destroys Nearly 35,000 Sodas Labeled as ‘Champagne’

France is protecting the Champagne name at all costs, even if it means throwing a few beers and sodas into the trash compactor. (Photo: douana_france/Twitter)

French authorities have announced the destruction of 34,968 imported soda bottles illegally carrying the “Champagne” name. The bold move, intended to defend Champagne’s protected designation of origin, begins to make a lot less sense the more you look into it.

Though some outlets have reported the destroyed product as “faux champagne,” the beverages were hardly imposters. Available throughout the Caribbean, Canada and the US, Cola Couronne (subtitled “fruit champagne”) is a beloved sugary soda from Haiti that’s been in production since 1924.

In the Dominican Republic, Cola Couronne is even bottled and sold by the Coca-Cola company.

The tropical-flavored “Couronne Fruit Champagne” at the center of the incident. (Photo: Amazon)

All of this is to say, Cola Couronne isn’t some knock-off Champagne that rolled into Europe intending to scam consumers. So why all the hassle?

Just as how tequila can only be called “tequila” if made in Mexico and feta “feta” if made in Greece, sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if made in a specific region in northern France using regulated methods. Nations frequently step in to protect a product’s designation of origin to help preserve its heritage and aid domestic manufacturers.

France’s Comité Champagne — the organization responsible for the product seizures and destruction — has taken things a step further. Claiming that Champagne shouldn’t be confused for “a beer, a perfume, a soda, a candle or a yogurt,” the Comité has gone on an all-out rampage against any Champagne-adjacent products entering the EU.

Miller High Life also got caught in the crossfire. (Photo: Associated Press/YouTube)

Last month, Belgian customs destroyed over 2,000 cans of Miller High Life found en route to Germany. Similar to Cola Couronne, the beer’s fatal flaw was its decades old-slogan; the “Champagne of Beers.”

Charles Goemaere, Managing Director of the Comité Champagne, remarked: “This destruction is the result of a successful collaboration between Belgian customs authorities and the Comité Champagne. It confirms the importance that the European Union attaches to designations of origin and rewards the determination of the Champagne producers to protect their designation.”

Some have speculated that the recent Cola Couronne destruction was part of a well-timed publicity stunt. The sodas were initially seized back in October 2021, then evidently sat in government custody for years until Miller High Life made headlines a few weeks back.

Above all else, this blitz of beverage massacres is clearly intended to send a message.

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