Brussels, 02/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - As announced in EUROPE of 19 March, the Commission has adopted a new regulation setting compulsory terms (sales designation, alcoholic strength, the name of the bottler, the number of the batch, the supplier and importer) and optional terms (method of production, traditional expressions, name of the vineyard or vintage year) that have to or may appear on the labels for wine. This text, that will enter force on 1 January 2003, is the ninth and last implementing regulation of the 1999 regulation on the reform of the common market organisations (Cmos) for wine products.
The regulation introduces a system of protection for traditional expressions used to qualify a wine: it rests on the distinction of different categories of products and distinguishes two types of traditional expressions i.e. those that respond to own specifications and those closely linked to a wine with geographic indications. Provisions applicable to wines from third countries marketed in the EU will also be provided for. Among these traditional expressions we find Ruby, Tawny or Vintage for Portuguese "Porto" and Amarone, Gutturnio and Lacryma Christi respectively for Valpolicella", "Colli Piacentini" and "Vesuvio" from Italy.