Blossom Hill forced into rosé name change

Blossom Hill has been forced to change the names of its popular rosé wines White Zinfandel and White Grenache following a labelling dispute in Italy.

The Diageo-owned Californian brand was forced to act after the Central Inspectorate in Turin took issue with the use of the term “white” in the name of the wines, which are shipped to Italy in bulk before bottling.

The wines will now be known as Blossom Hill Zinfandel Rosé and Blossom Hill Grenache Rosé as the company continues to negotiate with the Italian authorities.

A Blossom Hill spokesperson told the drinks business: “We can confirm that due to an alleged labelling issue concerning the industry’s use of the term, ‘White Zinfandel’ and ‘White Grenache’, a small percentage of Blossom Hill White Zinfandel and White Grenache has been impounded in Italy by the Central Inspectorate in Turin.

“Conversations with Italian authorities are likely to continue for some time to resolve this labelling issue but in order to ensure that we can continue bottling the product in Italy and minimise impact to supply during this time, we have agreed to change the term used on the label of the product to Blossom Hill Zinfandel Rosé and Blossom Hill Grenache Rosé in the interim.

“The liquid and the bottle will remain the same, but whilst the discussions are ongoing, consumers will see a change in the labelling to incorporate the altered use of terms.

“We will be working closely with all our customers to ensure that they are aware of this development and to ensure that consumers understand that the great tasting liquid is un-changed.”