For the purposes of this point and points B and C of this Annex:
‘tirage liqueur’ means;
the product added to the cuvée to provoke secondary fermentation;
‘expedition liqueur’ means;
the product added to sparkling wines to give them special taste qualities.
The expedition liqueur may contain only:
sucrose,
grape must,
grape must in fermentation,
concentrated grape must,
rectified concentrated grape must;
wine, or
a mixture thereof,
with the possible addition of wine distillate.
Without prejudice to enrichment authorised pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 for the constituents of a cuvée, any enrichment of the cuvée shall be prohibited.
However, each Member State may, in respect of regions and varieties for which it is technically justified, authorise the enrichment of the cuvée at the place of preparation of the sparkling wines provided that:
none of the constituents of the cuvée has previously undergone enrichment;
the said constituents are derived solely from grapes harvested in its territory;
the enrichment is carried out in a single operation;
the following limits are not exceeded:
3 % vol. for a cuvée comprising constituents from wine-growing zone A;
2 % vol. for a cuvée comprising constituents from wine-growing zone B;
1,5 % vol. for a cuvée comprising constituents from wine-growing zone C;
the method used is the addition of sucrose, concentrated grape must or rectified concentrated grape must.
The addition of tirage liqueur and expedition liqueur shall be considered neither as enrichment nor as sweetening. The addition of tirage liqueur may not cause an increase in the total alcoholic strength by volume of the cuvée of more than 1,5 % vol. This increase shall be measured by calculating the difference between the total alcoholic strength by volume of the cuvée and the total alcoholic strength by volume of the sparkling wine before any expedition liqueur is added.
The addition of expedition liqueur shall be carried out in such a way as not to increase the actual alcoholic strength by volume of the sparkling wine by more than 0,5 % vol.
Sweetening of the cuvée and its constituents shall be prohibited.
In addition to any acidification or deacidification of the constituents of the cuvée in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the cuvée may be subject to acidification or deacidification. Acidification and deacidification of the cuvée shall be mutually exclusive. Acidification may be carried out only up to a maximum of 1,5 grams per litre, expressed as tartaric acid, i.e. 20 milliequivalents per litre.
In years of exceptional climate conditions, the maximum limit of 1,5 grams per litre or 20 milliequivalents per litre may be raised to 2.5 grams per litre or 34 milliequivalents per litre, provided that the natural acidity of the products is not less than 3 g/l, expressed as tartaric acid, or 40 milliequivalents per litre.
The carbon dioxide contained in the sparkling wines may be produced only as a result of the alcoholic fermentation of the cuvée from which such wine is prepared.
Such fermentation, unless it is intended for processing grapes, grape must or partially fermented grape must directly into sparkling wine, may result only from the addition of tirage liqueur. It may take place only in bottles or in closed tanks.
The use of carbon dioxide in the case of the process of transfer by counter-pressure is authorised under supervision and on condition that the pressure of the carbon dioxide contained in the sparkling wine is not thereby increased.
In the case of sparkling wines other than sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin:
the tirage liqueur intended for their preparation may contain only:
grape must,
grape must in fermentation,
concentrated grape must,
rectified concentrated grape must, or
sucrose and wine;
the actual alcoholic strength by volume, including the alcohol contained in any expedition liqueur added, shall be not less than 9,5 % vol.
The tirage liqueur intended for the production of a quality sparkling wine may contain only:
sucrose,
concentrated grape must,
rectified concentrated grape must,
grape must or partially fermented grape must, or
wine.
Producer Member States may define any supplementary or more stringent characteristics or conditions of production and circulation for the quality sparkling wines covered by this Title and produced in their territory.
The manufacture of quality sparkling wines is also covered by the rules referred to in:
paragraphs 1 to 10 of point A,
paragraph 3 of point C for the actual alcoholic strength, paragraph 5 of point C for the minimum excess pressure and paragraphs 6 and 7 of point C for the minimum length of the production process, without prejudice to paragraph 4(d) of this point,
As regards quality aromatic sparkling wines:
except by way of derogation, these may be obtained only by making exclusive use, when constituting the cuvée, of grape must or partially fermented grape must derived from wine varieties contained on the list given in Appendix 1. However, quality aromatic sparkling wine may be produced in the traditional way by using as constituents of the cuvée wines obtained from grapes of the ‘Prosecco’ variety harvested in the regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia;
control of the fermentation process before and after the cuvée has been constituted, in order to render the cuvée sparkling, may be effected only by refrigeration or other physical processes;
the addition of expedition liqueur shall be prohibited;
the length of the production process for quality aromatic sparkling wines may not be less than one month.
The total alcoholic strength by volume of the cuvées intended for the preparation of quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin shall be not less than:
9,5 % vol. in wine-growing zones C III,
9 % vol. in other wine-growing zones.
However, the cuvées intended for the preparation of quality sparkling wines with the protected designations of origin ‘Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene’ and ‘Montello e Colli Asolani’ and prepared from a single vine variety may have a total alcoholic strength by volume of not less than 8,5 % vol.
The actual alcoholic strength by volume of quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin, including the alcohol contained in any expedition liqueur added, shall be not less than 10 % vol.
The tirage liqueur for sparkling wines and quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin may contain only:
sucrose,
concentrated grape must,
rectified concentrated grape must;
and:
grape must,
partially fermented grape must,
wine;
suitable for yielding the same sparkling wine or quality sparkling wine with a protected designation of origin as that to which the tirage liqueur is added.
Notwithstanding paragraph 5(c) of Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, when kept at a temperature of 20 °C in closed containers of a capacity of less than 25 cl., quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin must have an excess pressure of not less than 3 bar.
The duration of the process of making quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin, including ageing in the undertaking where they are made and reckoned from the start of the fermentation process designed to make the wines sparkling, may not be less than:
six months where the fermentation process designed to make the wines sparkling takes place in closed tanks;
nine months where the fermentation process designed to make the wines sparkling takes place in the bottles.
The duration of the fermentation process designed to make the cuvée sparkling and the duration of the presence of the cuvée on the lees shall not be less than:
90 days,
30 days if the fermentation takes place in containers with stirrers.
The rules laid down in paragraphs 1-10 of point A and paragraph 2 of point B shall also apply to sparkling wines and quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin.
As regards quality aromatic sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin:
these wines may be obtained solely by using, for constituting the cuvée, grape must or partially fermented grape must of vine varieties on the list given in Appendix 1, provided that these varieties are recognised as suitable for the production of quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin in the region whose name the quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin bear. By derogation, a quality aromatic sparkling wine with a protected designation of origin may be produced by using as constituents of the cuvée wines obtained from grapes of the ‘Prosecco’ vine variety harvested in the regions of the designations of origin ‘Conegliano-Valdobbiadene’ and ‘Montello e Colli Asolani’;
control of the fermentation process before and after the cuvée has been constituted, in order to render the cuvée sparkling, may be effected only by refrigeration or other physical processes;
the addition of expedition liqueur shall be prohibited;
the actual alcoholic strength by volume of quality aromatic sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin may not be less than 6 % vol.;
the total alcoholic strength by volume of quality aromatic sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin may not be less than 10 % vol.;
when kept at a temperature of 20 °C in closed containers, quality aromatic sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin must have an excess pressure of not less than 3 bar;
notwithstanding paragraph 6 of point C, the duration of the process of producing quality aromatic sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin must not be less than one month.
Airén
Aleatico N
Alvarinho
Ασύρτικο (Assyrtiko)
Bourboulenc B
Brachetto N.
Busuioacă de Bohotin
Clairette B
Colombard B
Csaba gyöngye B
Cserszegi fűszeres B
Devín
Fernão Pires
Freisa N
Gamay N
Gewürztraminer Rs
Girò N
Γλυκερύθρα (Glykerythra)
Huxelrebe
Irsai Olivér B
Macabeu B
All the Malvoisies
Mauzac blanc and rosé
Monica N
Μοσχοφίλερο (Moschofilero)
Müller-Thurgau B
All the Muscatels
Manzoni moscato
Nektár
Pálava B
Parellada B
Perle B
Piquepoul B
Poulsard
Prosecco
Ροδίτης (Roditis)
Scheurebe
Tămâioasă românească
Torbato
Touriga Nacional
Verdejo
Zefír B