There are some names so famous and so proud that no one is allowed to mess with them. If it says champagne, it has to come from the Champagne region of France: if it says Roquefort, and it isn’t made from milk from the right breed of sheep, colonised with the right bacteria, then somebody is going to be in trouble.
To that august group — which includes Melton Mowbray pork pies and Cognac — could soon be added: Sussex wine. In an initiative that speaks volumes for their confidence, wineries in Sussex are to apply to the EU for protected designation of origin status.
Jamie Everett, the chief operating officer at Rathfinny winery, one of the groups leading the campaign, said they were seeking