Court: Sorbet can be called 'Champagne' if it tastes like it

Posted: Updated:
(AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File). FILE - This is a Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 file photo of the headquarters of retail giant Aldi in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The European Union's top court ruled Wednesday Dec. 20, 2017 that if a sorbet really tastes... (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File). FILE - This is a Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 file photo of the headquarters of retail giant Aldi in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The European Union's top court ruled Wednesday Dec. 20, 2017 that if a sorbet really tastes...

BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union's top court has ruled that if a sorbet really tastes like Champagne, it can be called that.

Just in time for the festive season, the European Court of Justice ruled on a case involving France's august and protective CIPV committee of Champagne producers, which sought a ban on the German Aldi chain selling "Champagne Sorbet" in its supermarkets.

Even though the court left the ultimate decision to a German court, it did say that the name could be used if the icy treat "has, as one of its essential characteristics, a taste attributable primarily to Champagne."

Aldi's Champagne Sorbet contains 12 percent Champagne. The court said that the quantity of the bubbly itself "is a significant but not, in itself, sufficient factor."

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.