If Sth is The Law, All Over the World, and Not in My Country, It's Not Law in My Country

We may have heard of Apellation d'Origine Controlée. We may have heard that Champagne can only be made using the méthode chamenoise or méthode classique from grapes grown in Champagne and must be finally made into the sparkling wine in Champagne too. If its from anywhere else, it's legally not Champagne.

In the US, "Champagne, California" is a thing.

You see, the US or several of its states ratifed the agreement on AOC in 2006. However, only with a qualification:

A geographic origin may be treated as semi-generic, if "the Secratery"* deeems it so, or if it's on a specific list, comprising:

Angelica, Burgundy, Claret, Chablis, Champagne, Chianti, Malaga, Marsala, Madeira, Moselle, Port, Rhine Wine or Hock, Sauterne, Haut Sauterne, Sherry, Tokay.

Given how very specifically Port, Madeira and Sherry are produced, it makes sense that someone elsewhere using the method might want to call it whichever of these applies. And other case would obviously be Champagne for sparling wine or Chianti for a red wine where years make no difference (each bottle has admixture from different years). The conditions for treating a name as semi-generic in this sense is:

• adding the real place of origin
• using the exact same method as in the actual place of origin.

Now, the EU does not recognise this exception, but the US does.*

So, the US tries to sell "Champagne, California" in Europe. And Europe responds by confiscating and destroying the bottles, because Champagne which isn't from the Champagne region is illegal in Europe.***

Lesson? An international law is only applicable across countries in proportion to how much it is ratified in any given country. And if you produce Champagne, California, you are better off selling it in the US than in Europe./HGL

* Secretary of what? Secretary of state?
** "26 U.S. Code § 5388 - Designation of wines"; more specifically "U.S. Code Title 26 Subtitle E CHAPTER 51 Subchapter F PART III § 5388"
*** LA Times: Belgium destroys California bubbly
By From the Associated Press | Jan. 11, 2008 12 AM PT
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-11-fi-bubbly11-story.html