THE TOCAI SAGA: REQUEST FOR AN EXTENSION BY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL BE EXAMINED BY THE EU COMMISSION ON MARCH 31... IN ANTICIPATION OF THE EUROPEAN COURT'S DECISION. FEDERDOC'S POSITION: "IMMEDIATELY SUPPORT AN ALTERNATIVE NAME"

The offices of European Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel are currently examining the letter sent on December 18th by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture in regards to the Tocai story: the wine that is the symbol of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and whose denomination - apart from extensions by the EU - will no longer be able to be used by Italian and French winemakers beginning on March 31, 2007.

The European Commission has still not responded to the Italian Ministry because it must also be evaluated by the judicial service of the EU Commission. In Italy, in fact, in regards to the introduction of the term "Friulano" as a synonym for "Tocai Friulano", the Tar court in Lazio has received the request presented by the Cormons (Gorizia) producers who have asked for the suspension of the use of this name. The adminsitrative court recognized the risk that could occur due to the permanent disorientation of consumers if this new name was applied.

The Tar, as well, has made a prejudicial postponement available to the European Courts at the moment the ruling is made. Brussels must therefore decide whether to accept the request from Italy to concede a postponement of the deadline set for next March 31st thus allowing winemakers of the Friuli Venezia Giulia to continue to use "Tocai Friulano" for their wines. This would be until the final pronouncement by the European Court of Justice by both the Tar court and the case promoted by the Italian government.

Federdoc's position:
"Tocai must immediately have an alternative name" Sustaining, without delays, the proposed alternative to "Tocai" ( which would be "Friulano"), and making it become a "banner wine" for the territory by promoting it without hesitation: this is the position that has been taken by Federdoc, the federation of 9 DOC consortiums of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, that is trying to emphasize the "preoccupying countdown", less than 80 days before the start of the ban by the European Union on the use of this historic denomination.
Just a few weeks away from this deadline, "the producers" - noted Federdoc - "will still not know what to write on their labels".

"At this point of the story" - declared Federdoc director, Michele Bertolami - "winemakers of the Friuli Venezia Giulia are asking the Minister of Agriculture, Paolo De Castro, the regional councillor, Enzo Marsilio and all of the political forces to make a decisive appeal to the State Council against the sentence of the Tar court of Lazio that has made the use of the denomination Friulano impossible". Federdoc Fvg is not admitting that the Tocai case "has clearly become a political case, it has, in fact, slowed the comercial programming of about 9,400 companies and exasperated to their limits the souls of as many producers".