Traditional Terms and Appellation Wines Debates in Sight of TTIP Negotiation

The game of chess between EU and US (TTIP) for the wine sector revolves around two main issues on which the negotiating partners are divided. The first regards the recognition of EU wines with PDO and PGI and protection of “semi-generic names”. The second considers the protection of “traditional terms” (TTs) used as description of product characteristics or production systems and represents the highest expression of excellence as synonymous with quality recognized. Towards an overview of the claims, different requests and debates on the ongoing TTIP, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate how international trade finds itself increasingly threatened and facing a series of obstacles along with showing the disparities between EU and US. Beyond the official position, the real game is played between selfish interests: those who defend collective brand reputation and those who support the private brand interest.