A federation of European nations set up after the World War II. The original European Union members were Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. These countries were later joined by Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Other countries preparing to join the current group of fifteen are Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Turkey. As it relates to the world of wine, the EU has established a standard set of regulations for wines entering EU countries from the United States; some member countries might also have additional individual requirements. Essentially, U.S. exporters must follow the TAX AND TRADE BUREAU (previously BATF) production regulations described in Circular 86-2— Certification and Analysis of U.S. Wine for Export to the European Economic Community (EEC). In addition to a host of required information that must appear on the labels, it’s interesting to note what is not allowed. Items that cannot appear on labels include European APPELLATION names, such as “Champagne” and “Beaujolais.” In fact, the label can’t show the use of generic or semigeneric wine class or type designations having European significance. For instance, “méthode champenoise” cannot be used and must be replaced by any of the following: “bottle-fermented by the traditional method,” “traditional method,” “classical method,” or “classical traditional method.” Labels are not allowed to have quality terms that have no TAX AND TRADE BUREAU (previously BATF) standard, such as “reserve” and “select.” Furthermore, a geographic indication of “American” is too broad—the label must indicate a smaller area, such as “California” or “New York,” or one of the AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREAS. Interestingly, items required on U.S. labels, like the government warning statement and the sulfites declaration, are not allowed either.