(Decanter) - Bruno Paillard has said that he does not intend to re-think his decision to resign in protest as the head of a commission set up to protect the Champagne name around the world. 

News broke last week that Bruno Paillard has quit as president of the Champagne bureau’s ‘appellation protection committee’ after 17 years, following a row with Champagne Palmer.

Paillard, a leading figure in the region as chairman and CEO of Lanson-BCC and owner of Champagne Bruno Paillard, was quoted in French newspaper l’Union as saying that co-operative-owned Palmer had betrayed Champagne by signing a US distribution agreement with TRU Estates & Vineyards, a division of Constellation Brands.

For Palmer, the deal represents an opportunity to harness the power of Constellation’s distribution network in a fast-growing market for Champagne.