German Court in Favor of Champagne

Germany's federal court has banned a wine producer from marketing a sparkling pear drink under the name of champagne, ruling in favor of the French variety in Karlsruhe on Thursday. Jörg Geiger, a producer in Schlat in Germany's west, had twice before lost cases on the matter and was appealing the former rulings on his drink, made from a type of pear known locally as "Champagner bratbirne." An umbrella group for French champagne producers started legal proceedings against Geiger as their domain name has been protected since 1960.