Winemaker Maxime Chapoutier would be arrested if he tried to sell two of his newest wines in his native France.
“There would likely be outrage about these wines in France, and that would be a good thing,” he says. “Sometimes you need to be provocative to drive change.”
The two bottles in question, one white and one red, would be illegal in France because they are made from a blend of French and Australian base wines.
Under both French and European Union law it is forbidden to make a wine that combines EU and non-EU fruit. In France in particular, authorities take such things very seriously.
The French wine industry has a celebrated word called “terroir”, which applies to all the environmental factors that affect vines growing in a vineyard, such the soil, the climate, and the elevation. As a result, wines from a specific place are held in the highest esteem.
Add a strict appellation or classification system for France’s wine regions, and the thought of blending French and Australian wine to create a global hybrid would horrify many French wine lovers.
Yet Maxime has done just this, and it is all thanks to one word – Brexit.
For while he cannot sell the two wines in the EU, he can do so in the UK now that London no longer has to follow food and drink rules set by Brussels.

Jimmy Donaldson – aka MrBeast – was jubilant as he told his tens of millions of TikTok followers about his bid to buy the platform.
“I might become you guys’ new CEO! I’m super excited!” Donaldson said from a private jet. He then proceeded to promise $10,000 to five random new followers.
The internet creator’s post has been viewed more than 73 million times since Monday. Donaldson said he could not share details about his bid, but promised: “Just know, it’s gonna be crazy.”
Donaldson is one of multiple suitors who have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok, the wildly popular social media platform that’s become the subject of a fast-moving political drama in the United States.
Last year, then-President Joe Biden signed a law that gave TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance until 19 January to sell the platform or face a ban in the United States.

UnitedHealthcare has named a new boss almost two months after its then-chief executive Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York.
Company veteran Tim Noel will take charge of the largest health insurer in the US, which has more than 50 million customers, at a critical moment.
Mr Thompson’s killing on 4 December in central Manhattan ignited a wide debate about how the US healthcare system operates.
Many Americans, who pay more for healthcare than people in any other country, have expressed anger over what they see as unfair treatment by insurance firms.
Mr Noel “brings unparalleled experience to this role with a proven track record and strong commitment to improving how health care works for consumers, physicians, employers, governments and our other partners,” UnitedHealthcare’s parent company UnitedHealth Group said.
A manhunt ensued for days as police worked to identify who was responsible in the December killing, which happened outside a Manhattan hotel where the CEO was staying.
After five days, Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania after a worker called police.
Mr Mangione has pleaded not guilty to charges in the killing. He is facing 11 state criminal counts, including murder as an act of terrorism.
As well as the state-level charges, he is also accused of federal – national-level – stalking and murder offences that could lead to a death penalty sentence.
Prosecutors allege that Mr Mangione shot Mr Thompson before going on the run.