• July 31, 2007

Walt Disney Co. has quit the wine biz, even before the first bottles of Ratatouille Chardonnay were scheduled to hit Costco's shelves in August.

Bottles of the French 2004 vintage white Burgundy were to carry labels featuring Remy, the haute-cuisine-loving rodent who stars in "Ratatouille," the latest movie from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.

Disney said it and Costco Wholesale Corp. canceled the promotion after getting flak from California winemakers and opponents of underage drinking.

"We've decided to just not go through with it," Disney spokesman Gary Foster said. "We've been getting a trickle of inquiries and complaints."

A spokeswoman for Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco would only say: "We have decided to withdraw this product prior to any bottles being available or sold in the market."