Fighting over a name

News from the upper northeast corner of Spain - based upon an article appearing in La Vanguardia on Nov. 28, 2004 by Antoni F. Sandoval.

The Denominacion de Origin (appelation) Emporda - Costa Brava has stirred up a spat over the name of the D.O. used on labels.

Back in 1975 when the D.O. was created, Costa Brava was an established quality tourist destination, while Emporda was the rugged countryside that tourists drove through quickly to get to the Costa Brava beaches. In the last few years, there has been concern that the model of tourism on the Costa has declined as operators have gone downmarket with cheap rooms and cheaper alcohol, which attracts a younger, hard-partying crowd.

So the head of the D.O. Emporda - Costa Brava, Josep Blanch, has allowed some wineries in the Emporda region to drop the Costa Brava name from their labels. This has provoked angry reaction from Costa Brava hotel and restaurant operators, some of whom are threatening a boycott of those local wineries that do not include the Costa Brava name on their labels. We'll see if the D.O. recinds their decision or if the fight continues.

Not to leave a doubt: while there are some areas of the Costa Brava that are geared for cheap tourism, the overall area is fantastic and is home to some of the leading restaurants and hotels in the country. The most famous of these is Ferran Adria's El Bulli.