Dirty Feet Shall Never Stomp the Fruit of My Wine

During a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels the Polish delegation has been pushing for a wine definition that also comprises spirits produced of fruit other than grapes.

The talks in Brussels concerned, among others, a project of wine market reform presented by the European Commission in July. One of the effects of such reform would be a ban on marketing spirits based on fruit other than grapes under the 'wine' label. For centuries in Poland a traditional wine has been produced from apples.

Finland and Sweden support the Polish objections. In northern Europe because of climate conditions one does not grow grapes.

Another argument used by the Polish delegation was that in June the EU rejected Polish proposition of the definition of vodka stipulating that only spirits distilled from potatoes and rye can be sold under that label.