US Edition'Gin' Must Contain Alcohol, Top European Court Says
The EU court upheld that 'gin' must have at least 37.5% alcohol, reinforcing rules to prevent consumer confusion and protect gin producers from unfair competition.
- The Court of Justice of the European Union on Thursday ruled beverages labelled 'gin' must contain alcohol, defining it as juniper‑flavoured ethyl alcohol with minimum 37.50% alcohol by volume.
- A German court referred whether 'gin' must be intoxicating to the Court of Justice of the European Union after VSW challenged PB VI Goods' 'Virgin Gin Alkoholfrei,' and it was deemed 'a clear prohibition' by the court.
- The court said that prohibition is proportionate to protect consumers and gin producers, finding a clear prohibition on labelling the product labelled as 'non‑alcoholic gin' as such, and that the legal name's accompaniment by 'non‑alcoholic' is irrelevant.
- The court clarified PB VI Goods can still sell the beverage but cannot use 'gin' in its name, preventing alcohol‑free drinks from being marketed as 'gin' across the EU and prompting potential relabelling by producers across the EU single market.
- With falling consumption, the wine industry has explored reduced- and alcohol-free products as the European Commission proposed the 'wine package' with labels like 'alcohol-free' for drinks up to 0.50% alcohol, while MEPs and EU member countries remain divided on terminology.
23 Articles
23 Articles
A drink called “gin” must contain alcohol and alcohol inhalation and have an alcoholic concentration of at least 37.5%, decided the highest European court. A German group has challenged a non-alcoholic product called “Virigin Gin”, DW reports.
When can a gin be called gin? The European Court of Justice has ruled that a non-alcoholic drink must not be called gin. Consumers must be protected from confusion. By Robin Mai[more]]>
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg has now decided that an alcohol-free drink must not be marketed under the name ‘Gin'. The addition ‘Alcohol-free' does not change anything about it. The term ‘Gin' is reserved for certain spirits only. An association had sued a company at the Potsdam Regional Court in Germany that sold a drink called ‘Virgin Gin Alcohol-free'. He argued that the name infringes an EU regulation, according to which…
The Court of Justice of the European Union stresses that this name is reserved for a spirit product and adds that the consumer may think that it has characteristics specific to drink.
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