[REPONSE] Question E-005775-18 de Mario Borghezio (ENF) - Suppression de l’information de l’origine des raisins utilisés pour le vin de table

Niveau juridique : Union européenne

  • Texte de la question datant du 14-11-2018

« The recent rules approved at European level on so-called ‘varietal wines’ or ‘table wines’, i.e. wines that do not have a designation of origin or geographical indication, no longer require a declaration of the origin of the grapes or the must.

This rule is certain to facilitate the import of low quality grapes (including from non-European countries such as China or Tunisia) and the marketing of the wine made from these grapes under the name of the winery that bottles it. This mechanism risks downgrading the quality of table wines, causing product prices to fall and thus seriously jeopardising a sector, including from an employment perspective, which accounts for EUR 15 billion in turnover in Italy alone, and which is already being penalised by rules that have unexpectedly permitted wine must to be sweetened, as well as by the planned cuts to the CAP.

In the light of the above, what action does the Commission intend to take to remedy this situation by defending employment in the wine sector and the quality of European table wines? »

  • Réponse donnée par Mr Hogan au nom de la Commission, le 17 janvier 2018

« According to Article 119(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013(1), the labelling and presentation of wine must contain an indication of provenance. Moreover, point B(5) of Part II of Annex VIII to the same Regulation prohibits turning grapes originating in third countries into grapevine products referred to in Annex VII to that regulation or adding such products in the territory of the Union.

Detailed rules for the indication of the provenance are laid down in Article 55 of Regulation (EC) No 607/2009(2). This regulation is in the process of being modified, in order to align it with the Lisbon Treaty. During the alignment process, the Commission worked in close cooperation with the European Parliament and Member States, and the current labelling provisions were not modified.

Therefore, the interdiction to turn into wine the grapes imported from third countries, the obligation to indicate the provenance on the label of all wines (including ‘varietal wine’) and the modalities for the implementation of this labelling requirement will remain unchanged. 

(1) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007. (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671)

(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 607/2009 of 14 July 2009 laying down certain detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as regards protected designations of origin and geographical indications, traditional terms, labelling and presentation of certain wine sector products (OJ L 193, 24.7.2009, p. 60‐139). »