Bar brawl: Europe's vodka wars.

• Author: Howley, Kerry
• Position: Citings - Brief article

UNDER NORMAL circumstances, the question "what's your drink?" suggests congenial hospitality. In the European Union it has sparked an angry trade dispute that's pitting country against country. Right now, the region's regulations state that vodka must be made from "agricultural products," and so it is: potatoes, grapes, grain, sugar beets, and other foods. Poland, which produces 50 percent of Europe's vodka, says this definition is too broad. Vodka, Agricultural Minister Andrzej Lepper argues, is a product of grain, cereal, or potatoes. Anything else isn't worthy of the name.

The European Commission will hold a plenary vote in March to decide whether 10 percent of Europe's colorless liquor makers are victimizing consumers. Nontraditional producers insist that vodka derives its taste from the production process, not the raw materials, but Lepper says vodka "as we know...