It’s highly unlikely that anyone would mistake a can of Miller High Life for a bottle of Champagne, but that didn’t stop European Union authorities from seizing (and later destroying) 2,352 cans of the American-made beer in Antwerp, Belgium, earlier this year on the grounds that the Miller High Life slogan violates the protected geographical designation “Champagne."
For decades, Milwaukee-brewed Miller High Life has been advertised as “The Champagne of Beers.” Like any good marketing slogan, it’s a catchy phrase with positive connotations, making potential customers think of a crisp, delicious taste and a classy reputation, though the slogan originally referred to the shape of the champagne-like beer bottles.
Under the rules of the European Union, however, "Champagne" is a protected designation of origin, and use of the term is strictly controlled. It can only be used to refer to a specific product made in a certain way from a specific region – in this case, the Champagne region of northern France. No other sparkling wines or other imitators can call themselves Champagne. And this even applies to imported American beer, it seems. The Comité Champagne, the trade group that protects the geographic designation, clearly takes their role very seriously. They paid for nearly 100 cases of Miller beer to be poured out, the cans crushed, and then recycled.
It may be the high life, but it's not Champagne:
- The Miller High Life shipment was destined for Germany before being seized by the Belgian authorities in Antwerp. The intended recipient did not contest the action.
- Dozens of food and beverage products have protected designation of origin (known as Appellation d'origine protégée in French) status in the EU, including Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Le Puy green lentils, Kalamata olives, Jersey Royal potatoes, and many others.
- "Of course, we respect local restrictions around the word ‘champagne,’ but we remain proud of Miller High Life, its nickname and its Milwaukee, Wisconsin provenance. We invite our friends in Europe to the U.S. any time to toast the High Life together," said Molson Coors, which acquired the Miller Brewing Company in 2016, in a statement to USA Today.
