Tokaj wine-makers still eager to support brand after European court ruling

(MTI) – The Hungarian government represents the interests of the “Tokaj” brand name at international forums and the local wine council supports every effort to protect the origin of Hungarian wines from the Tokaj region, the council said after a European Court ruling rejecting Hungary’s appeal in a case against Slovakia.

Related article: European Court rejects Hungary appeal over Tokaj

The Council of Mountainous Regions in the Tokaj Wine Region said in a statement sent to MTI on Friday that news of the European court ruling could mislead customers.

The ruling of the Luxembourg court only means that Slovak wine-makers can market their wines of a lesser quality than Hungarian ones under a brand name very similar to the Hungarian Tokaj label. However, they are still banned from using the “Tokaj” name, the statement said.

Slovakia registered its wine under the name “Vinohradnicka oblast’ Tokaj” in the European database “E-Bacchus”. Hungary turned to the European Court to erase the Slovak entry from the database, but the court rejected this and later said Hungary could not appeal against the decision.

The ruling could still hurt Hungarian wine makers and disrupt the local market, the wine council said.