Wine News

The German government has confirmed that it has made a formal protest to Italy about a popular wine, which depicts Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on its label. German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries has written to express displeasure over labels which show Hitler giving the stiff-armed Nazi salute and also feature SS leader Heinrich Himmler. Emblazoned on the bottles are the words "Sieg Heil" and "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer" (one people, one nation, one leader).

Selling things depicting Nazis or showing Nazi symbols is illegal in Germany and even sales of Hitler's book, Mein Kampf, are banned. In Italy, however, the sale of Nazi items is allowed.

Winemaker Andrea Lunardelli told Germany's ARD TV there is big demand for his Hitler wine and that up to 30,000 bottles are produced and sold each year mainly at highway petrol stations and tourist areas in Italy.

Up to 10 million Germans visit Italy annually. Germany is seeking a change to European Union law in order to ban sale of the Hitler Wine by forbidding dissemination of racist and anti-foreigner material in all of the bloc's 15 member states.