Winemakers of Bordeaux are pressurising the Chinese government to officially recognise its Protected Designation of Origin status.

Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce president Pierre Goguet said that the biggest threat to Bordeaux in China is not counterfeiters creating fake bottles of First Growths such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild or Chateau Haut-Brion, but instead the imitation of large amounts of entry-level wine.

Protected Designation of Origin is used in Europe to protect the foods and wines of certain regions from copies, but China does not recognise the law.

Allan Sichel, president of the Union des Maisons de Bordeaux, told Decanter: "The misuse of the Bordeaux name is a legal question concerned with registering trademarks.

"Implementation of the necessary legislation is possible within China, and we are making advances, but progress is slow."

Loire winemaker Olivier Cousin, who operates Domaine Cousin-Leduc in the Layon Valley, is facing a potential prison term for deliberately mislabelling his wine in protest at the imposed restrictions.