Shock over wine named ‘dung’ in German

A row has broken out over a decision by St Tropez’s wine co-operative to name its 2014 rosé “mist” – which unfortunately means “dung”, “crap” or “rubbish” in German.

Intended to be an acronym for “Made In St Tropez”, the wine has attracted the scorn of some locals who have accused the co-operative of working against the image of St Tropez – famed for its old Port and celebrity visitors.

What’s more, the word Mist appears next to the town’s patron saint, Saint Torpes of Pisa, who was an early Christian martyr and patron saint of sailors.

Speaking to The Telegraph Robert Zimmer, former vice-president of the St Tropez cave co-operative and a German speaker criticised the new label, revealing the decision led to his resignation.

Describing it as “an insult and a blasphemous name that will shock all Germans”, Zimmer said many of his German friends had been “stunned and shocked” by the co-operative’s choice of name.

“I didn’t agree. I told them so, but they didn’t want to change it,” he told Le Parisien. “This name works directly against the image of Saint-Tropez that we all defend, namely a village welcoming all Europeans.”

It was also pointed out that the British meaning of mist was also “not ideal” for a clear, crisp rosé.

French rosé has been growing in popularity in recent years, with a blind tasting of premium rosés in London recently highlighting the dominance of the Provençal style as the benchmark for dry rosés.