page_title: Korbel Champagne Cellars
section_title: Use of "champagne" on labels
hierarchical_section_title: Korbel Champagne Cellars / Use of "champagne" on labels
caption_attribution_description: English: Korbel Champagne on a shelf at the Korbel Champagne Cellars
context_page_description: Korbel Champagne Cellars is a winery based in Guerneville, California. Since 1882, Korbel has primarily manufactured sparkling wine, claiming to use the méthode champenoise process. In this process, sparkling wine is fermented inside the same bottle from which it is served. The company is a division of F. Korbel Brothers, Inc., and also makes brandy and still wine.
  F. Korbel & Bros. is a private company that is owned and operated by the Heck family. Brown-Forman distributes "Korbel California Champagne" widely in the US
context_section_description: On its website, Korbel claims that they are "producers of fine California méthode champenoise champagnes for 137 years". Under European Union (EU) law, only wine from France's Champagne wine region may use the terms “Champagne" or “méthode champenoise” on the wine label.  However, Korbel does not use the full méthode champenoise.
  A "grandfathering" exception was made for Korbel. This is because of the 2005 agreement between the US and the EU, which allows producers to continue using the terms Champagne, Chablis, Sherry, and other "semi-generic names" on their labels if they were already using those names before the agreement.  Korbel uses the oxymornic term "California champagne" on the label. (Because of the same law, E & J Gallo's André California champagne and Cook's California champagne also can legally use "champagne.")
  In addition to the US-EU agreement, US law  also makes it possible for Korbel to use phrases like "California champagne" and "Russian River Valley champagne" on some of its labels.
  Korbel-marketed wines include Kenwood, Valley of the Moon, Lake Sonoma Winery, and Pininfarina.
caption: Korbel Champagne on a shelf at the Korbel Champagne Cellars
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