The governments of the European Union decided yesterday to battle at the ongoing world trade talks for the good name of Liebfraumilch, the sweet and cheap German wine.

Liebfraumilch is on a list of 41 foods and drinks whose names the EU believes should be protected so as to prevent imitation or abuse from producers elsewhere in the world.

The EU wants to secure recognition for geographical terms such as Madeira and Parma during the current round of farm trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

It will be an uphill struggle, with other WTO members reluctant to disadvantage their domestic producers by giving the EU the exclusive right to use terms such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, sherry and port, but the EU is hoping to make alliances with other countries that have prized products, such as Guatemala with its Antigua coffee or India and its Darjeeling tea.

The EU's negotiating stance has not been helped in recent weeks by disagreements between member-states over what products should be included on their wish-list. The EU has registered more than 600 geographical names but only 41 names have been included on the shortlist submitted to the WTO.

Britain withdrew its request for Stilton cheese to be included and Denmark decided not to protect Danish Blue cheese. But Greece has persisted in seeking protection for feta cheese.

There is a legal dispute within Europe over whether feta can only be applied to cheese made in Greece or whether it is a generic term that can be used by producers in France, Denmark and Germany. So feta will come off the EU's list if Greece loses its court case.

Greece's insistence that ouzo must be a protected term provoked Germany to insist on the inclusion of Liebfraumilch.