When you buy a French Chablis, it will be made only from Chardonnay grapes grown in a small district in France, because that’s required under French law. Likewise, when you buy a Sancerre, it can only be a sauvignon blanc from the eastern Loire Valley. A Beaujolais can only be made from the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc grape grown in a district of Burgundy. It has been about 15 years since the United States belatedly agreed to recognize such wine terms as protected place names because they’re actual regions in Europe. It’s kind of like “Parmigiano Reggiano,” which can only be made in certain Italian districts, although “parmesan” is an Americanized version that’s widely used—and one that gourmets usually hate. The controversy over place names still riles many Europeans, such as the many producers of cheddar cheese in the English village of Cheddar in Somerset—where the cheese originated—using a proprietary …