As far as Europe is concerned, California “champagne” is toast.
It’s a lesson for those of us not sophisticated enough to distinguish champagne from Champagne. Under EU law, the use of the word Champagne on wine labels is meant exclusively for wines produced in the Champagne region of France. This follows the strict regulations of the region’s Appellation of Controlled Origin (AOC) which ensure that consumers are not misled by falsely labeled bottles.