CAPE Mentelle winery has relinquished trademark claims for the name ‘Wallcliffe’ following months of bitter legal disputes.
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The winery, owned by French luxury goods company Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has been embroiled in disputes with the Margaret River Wine Association and its members about what they claimed were intellectual property violations by wineries which used the name.
In a letter addressed to Margaret River Wine Association, Cape Mentelle Estate director Robert Mann said the association’s recent meeting made clear the position of many local wineries.
“Given the reactions voiced during the association meeting, Cape Mentelle has decided not to pursue wine companies who reference “Wallcliffe” on their labels for breach of trademark,” Mr Mann said.
“Cape Mentelle’s principal concern remains the future of the Margaret River region and the collective promotion of its fantastic wines and terroir for which we have been a leading advocate for nearly 40 years.”
Flametree Wines general manager and chief winemaker Cliff Royle said the decision was a sensible outcome for all involved.
“It’s been awkward, how they dug their heels in,” Mr Royle said.
Flametree was first threatened with legal action by Cape Mentelle over the use of the name Wallcliffe on one of their labels.
“We were saying we can’t afford to fight you... but then there was pressure from the press and other wine operators and the wine community rallied behind us,” Mr Royle said.
Mr Royle said at the meeting operators voted overwhelmingly to support the wider use of the Wallcliffe brand, and sent Cape Mentelle a clear message.
“I think they realised they were taking on the broader Margaret River Wine Association and all its members.”
The Wallcliffe sub-region was one of six Margaret River wine regions identified by John Gladstone in 1999 as a reference point for local operators, but which was never officially recognised.
Mr Royle said out of respect to Cape Mentelle, Flametree will use the phrase ‘sub-region’ next to the word ‘Wallcliffe’ on their labels in the future.
However, Mr Mann still asked that wineries hold off on use of the Wallcliffe brand for now.
“Our recommendation to producers considering the adoption of the term on wine labels is to wait until such time as the sub –regions are further defined and legally adopted,” he said.
