It may only be words to some, but they certainly cause a stir amongst the Champagne houses when not used ‘correctly’, with Belgian customs officials acceding to a request that a consignment of Miller High Life beer arriving in the country should be crushed.

The problem was ‘The Champagne of Beers’ slogan used by the brewery, the Comité Champagne asking that the 2,352 cans of beer that arrived at the port of Antwerp be disposed of to defend the interests of houses and growers of the French region – the packaging was in violation of France’s protected designation of origin (PDO) for Champagne.

Comité agreed to pay for the privilege of seeing the beer destroyed, the mystery buyer based in Germany; Molson Coors Beverage Co, which owns the brand, does not routinely export to the European Union.

The Comité Champagne is the trade body that defends the industry’s interests, and it said in a statement that the buyer “was informed and did not contest the decision”, with video released of the cans being emptied before they were crushed.

The Miller firm was founded in 1850 by Frederick Miller, a German immigrant to the US, with Miller High Life launched in 1903, three years later using the nickname ‘The Champagne of Bottle Beers’, later shorted to ‘The Champagne of Beers’.