Veuve Clicquot to sue winery over labels

Champagne giant Veuve Clicquot is suing an Italian sparkling wine producer in a dispute over the colour of its labels, according to reports in the Italian media.

According to a report on winenews.it, Veuve Clicquot has launched legal proceedings against winery Ciro Picariello over claims the label for its Brut Contadino is too similar to its own Yellow Label Champagne.

Based in Italy’s Campania region, the family-owned winery produce 3,500 bottles a year of its sparkling wine featuring an orange label.

However LVMH-owned Veuve Clicquot, based in Reims, claims the similarities between the two labels could cause confusion and lead to economic damage to their brand.

Veuve Clicquot is the second-largest Champagne house in the world and produces up to 18 million bottles per year with an annual turnover of about $1.6 billion.

Supporters of Ciro Picariello have since taken to Twitter to speak out against the legal action using #boicottalavedova to mark their protests.

Nate Nolan tweeted, “Come on VC it’s a diff orange & they’re a tiny producer”, while others called the action “outrageous.”

Veuve Clicquot has been contacted for a comment.

UPDATE: Veuve Clicquot has since released a statement clarifying their position which can be read here.