EU standards for wines & spirits: Importance in the traceability and control systems EU-China seminar on standards, management and traceability of alcoholic beverages Sylvain NAULIN Beijing - 25 April 2012 1 Introduction Interests of these traceability and control systems Necessity to ensure traceability and controls on alcoholic beverages Ensure the conformity of the product to national/international rules Ensure the protection of consumer: Health protection No misleading Fiscal issues Necessity to ensure efficient traceabilty and control systems EU Products definitions Wine products (NC 2204) Aromatized wine products (NC 2205) Spirits (NC 2208) EU definition of production standards: oenological practices 1
EU Legal framework Wine Council Regulation (EC) 1234/207 integrating Regulation (EC) 479/2008 Commission Regulation (EC) 606/2006 Amendments of this regulation: Regulations (EC) 53/2011 and 315/2012 Aromatized wine products Council Regulation (EC) 1601/1991 (legal process of renewal engaged at Council and Parliament level) Commission regulation (EC) 122/1994 on aromas Spirits drinks Council and Parliament Regulation (EC) 110/2008 Wine products definitions: wine All definitions included in Annex XIter of Regulation 1234/2007 Wine Product obtained exclusively from the total or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, whether or not crushed, or of grape must Alcoholic strength Minimum 8,5% vol (except for some special PDO/PGI wines: 4,5% vol) Maximum 15% vol (20% without enrichment) Total acidity minimum 3,5 g/l (46,5 meq) Elaboration in accordance with oenological practices defined in article 120quater of Regulation 1234/2004 (reference to annex XVbis of this regulation and implementing rules > Regulation 606/2009) 2
Wine products definitions: sparkling/semi sparkling wines Sparkling wine Obtained by first or second alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, grape must, or wine The carbon dioxide derives exclusively from the fermentation and has an excess pressure of not less than 3 bars (at 20 C) The cuvées used for elaboration have an alcoholic strength not less than 8,5% vol For Quality Sparkling Wines the pressure has to be 3,5 bars mini and tha alcoholic streength of the cuvées 9%vol mini Semi sparkling wine Obtained from wine (and must, ) With a total alcoholic strength not les than 9%vol and an actual alcoholic strenght not less than 7% vol The carbon dioxide derives exclusively from the fermentation and has an excess pressure of not less than 1 bar and not more than 2,5 bars (at 20 C) Wine products definitions: liqueur wines Liqueur wine Obtained from wine or grape must in fermentation (or mixture of both)by first or second alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, grape must, or wine Alcoholic strength: Actual alcoholic strength between 15 and 22%vol Total alcoholic strength not less than 17,5% vol (except certain PDO wines) With addition of alcohol exclusively from vine origin With addition of concentrated grape must 3
Wine products definitions: musts For all these products, the alcoholic strength has to be less than 1% vol Grape must Obtained (naturally or by physical process) from fresh grapes Concentrated grape must Obtained from grape must (uncaramelised) by partial dehydratation (except by direct heating) and with refractometer figure not less than 50,9% Rectified concentrated grape must Concentrated must with a refractometer figure not less than 61,7% With a deacidification processand an elimination of constituants other than sugar With specific chemical characteristics A ph of nor more 5 at 25 Brix SO2 content less than 25 mg/kg of total sugars Aromatized wine products: definitions Aromatized wine Obtained from minimum 75% of wine Alcoholic strength more than 14,5% vol Compulsory (in way of reform) addition of ethyl alcohol (from agricultural origin) Natural flavours, colouring only by caramel Wine based beverage Obtained from minimum 50% of wine Alcoholic strength between 7% (possibly 4,5% after revision) and 14,5% vol Natural flavours, colouring only by caramel Aromatized wine product cocktail Obtained from minimum 50% of vitivinicultural products (wine, must, ) Alcoholic strength between 1,2% and 7%vol Flavouring, colouring For all these products, vitivinicultural products used have to comply with EU rules 4
Spirit drinks: general rules Technical definitions Definition and conditions of use for Ethyl alcohol Sweetening/colouring/flavouring Addition of water Blending/mixing products Labeling rules Use of sales denominations Presentation of mixtures Presentation of maturation/ageing period Spirit drinks: definitions of products Categories of products 1 14 (Annex II of Regulation 110/2208) Obtained exclusively by fermentation and distillation of agricultural raw materials with: No addition of ethyl alcohol No addition of flavouring substances Only addition of caramel to adapt colour Sweetening solely to round off the final taste of the products Examples Rum: from sugar cane juice or melasse Whisky: from malted cereals must with a minimum 3 years of ageing Brandy: from wine with a minimum of 1 years of ageing 5
Spirit drinks: definitions of products Categories of products 15 46 Obtained from any agricultural raw materials with: Possible addition of ethyl alcohol from agricultural origin Possible addition of flavouring substances (natural or identical to natural) Possible colouring and sweetening Examples Vodka: from cereals and potatoes, or other agricultural raw materials; rules of labelling depending of the raw material Gin: from juniper fruits Liqueurs: spirit drink with a minimum sugar content (in general 100 g/l) Crème: Liqueur with a minimum sugar content of 250 g/l Spirit drinks: definitions of products Other spirits drinks No restriction, in the respect of technical and labelling rules: Agricultural origin of raw material or foodstuff suitable for human consumption Agricultural origin of added ethyl alcohol Flavouring/Colouring/Sweetening Must bear the sale denomination: spirit drink Examples Slivovivce: from prune 6
Wine products: technical standards Legal framework Principle of a positive list of allowed oenological practices (article 120quater of Regulation 1234/2007): Annex XVbis of Regulation 1234/2007 (enrichment, acidification, deacidification) Regulation 606/2009 Use of oenological practices only for the purpose of ensuring proper vinification, preservation and refinement of the product Criteria of recognition of oenological practices: Oenological practices recommended and published by OIV Results of experimental use (under conditions) of not yet authorised practices Taking into account the protection of human health Taking into account the risks of misleading consumer Preservation of the natural and essential characteristics, and not cause a substantial change in the composition of the product Environmental care Methods of analysis: OIV methods are automatically recognised in the EU Wine products: oenological practices Regulation 606/2009 Positive list of allowed oenological practices (47) in Annex IA Physical techniques (electrodialysis, ) Additives (tartaric acid, CMC, ) Huge majority of thee practices recommended by OIV Definition of the conditions of use, limits, restrictions Definitions of maximum levels for: Sulfites (Annex IB) Volatil acidity (Annex IC) Sweetening (Annex ID): methods and limits Specific oenological practices for sparkling wines (Annex II) and liqueur wines (Annex III) Methods of analysis: OIV methods are automatically recognised in the EU, international accepted tools to ensure controls 7
Wine products: main limits Regulation 606/2009 Maximum levels of sulfites: 200 mg/l for red wines and 250 mg/l for wihite and rosés (OIV limits) Derogations until 400 mg/l for special wines with more than 5 g/l of sugar content 185 mg/l for quality sparkling wines and 235 mg/l for other sparkling wines 150 mg/l for liqueur wines with less than 5 g/l of sugar content (200 for other) Maximum level of volatil acidity 18 meq/l for white and rosé wines 20 meq for red wines (1,2 g/l expressed in acetic acid) Possible derogation: PDO/PGI wines aged at least 2 years or produced with certain methods With an alcoholic strength of at least 13%vol Enrichment processes Possibility given depending on climatic conditions to increase the alcoholic strength of wines Enrichment has to be processed: In the vitivinicultural area defined at EU level (see next) and during the winemaking process Necessity to notify enrichment to competent authorities Necessity to record the enrichment operations into specific register, available for control bodies Different levels of enrichment depending of vitivinicultural areas (see next) Different methods of enrichment depending of the products treated and the vitivinicultural areas 8
Enrichment processes: levels Different levels of increase of the alcoholic strength, depending of vitivinicultural zones 3%vol in zone A (yellow) 2%vol in zone B (orange) 1,5%vol in zone C (rest) Possibility given in all zones to increase of 0,5% vol more in case of exceptional climatic conditions Enrichment processes: methods Depending of the moment of the winemaking process, the methods of enrichment process are different: For fresh grapes, partially fermented must, new wine still in fermentation: addition of saccharose, concentrated grape must, rectified concentrated grape must For grape must: addition of saccharose, concentrated grape must, rectified concentrated grape must or by partial concentration (including reverse osmosis) For wine: by partial concentration by cooling Possibility to use different methods in complement, in the respect of the maximum level of enrichment Use of saccharose allowed only in zones A, B and part of C1 Variations of volumes limited for the addition of CM/RCM (increasing limited between 6,5% to 11% of the initial volume depending of the zones) and for the use of concentration (decreasing limited to 20% of the initial volume) Maximum levels of total alcohol content of the wine after enrichment 9
Conclusions Legislative corpus necessary to be a strong basis for traceability and controls procedures: Definition of products Methods of elaboration Limits and maximum levels Methods of analysis Labelling rules Then, procedures of controls could be built to ensure: Respect of the definitions in accordance with labelling and giving guarantees to the consumer Respect of elaboration processes and maximum levels to ensure the protection of consumer health In order to ensure the best control procedure and efficiency, useful to have harmonised rules: OIV has to be the reference in the wine sector Thank you for your attention 20 10