Vineyards Magazine

A row over whether a Kent wine can be called wine has taken on a fruity twist.

In a dispute that overshadows the bendy bananas saga, the EU has refused to allow a Kent tipple to be called wine.

That is despite the fact it’s made from wine grapes, is produced in the usual fashion and bottled like any other wine.

But because the drink from Chapel Down vineyard in Tenterden uses non-EU grapes – the Malbec variety from Argentina that has been transported to UK – it has to be called a “fruit-based alcoholic beverage”.

UKIP leader and MEP Nigel Farage hosted a ‘non-wine’ tasting in Brussels, on Europe day,  where many MEPs were present.

His aim was to allow fellow members to try the “fruit-derived alcoholic beverage from produce sourced outside the EU” – and make up their own minds.

We made up our mind after tasting this delicious wine which shows the know-how of british winemakers and it reveals the absurdity of some EU regulations. Moreover, moldovan grapes exported to Belarus and prepared in Belarus can be sold as wine into the EU while this fantastic Kent wine made with grapes from Argentina can’t be sold into the EU. An incredible loss of 1300 bottles worth 15pounds each.

We’re sure Nigel Farage MEP (EFD, UKIP) will follow this issue very closely