Sovio boss considers appeal after wine ruling

Published: 04 March, 2009

The producers of a reduced-alcohol wine have hit out at bureaucrats after losing their two-year battle with the Food Standards Agency.

On Monday a High Court judge ruled against Sovio Wines, which had been challenging the FSA's Wine Standards Branch over its right to describe its 8% abv product as a type of wine. Legally a wine must be at least 9% abv.

Sovio's entire stock was impounded after its 2007 launch, despite the company seeking advice from both the WSB and Trading Standards about its labels. Trading Standards had said the Sovio packaging was acceptable.

Sovio chairman Tony Dann said: "We are naturally disappointed that the judge has ruled against us, on partly what we think are the rather odd grounds that one Government agency cannot be bound by the ruling of another."

He added that the company is considering an appeal, and has relaunched Sovio under a revised label.

"Trading Standards strongly endorse the phrase 'partially dealcoholised wine' as an exact description of our product which could not possibly cause confusion with conventional wine, and continue to maintain they have jurisdiction.

"Unfortunately, however, it appears that the WSB retains the power to effectively kill a product they don't like for any reason, whether they really do have jurisdiction or not."

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