Regulation 1996/1429 - Amendment of Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92 laying down general rules for the description and presentation of sparkling wines and aerated sparkling wines - Main contents

official title

 

Legal instrument	Regulation
Number legal act	Regulation 1996/1429
Original proposal	COM(1995)744
CELEX number i	31996R1429

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Council Regulation (EC) No 1429/96 of 26 June 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92 laying down general rules for the description and presentation of sparkling wines and aerated sparkling wines

Official Journal L 184 , 24/07/1996 P. 0009 - 0012

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1429/96 of 26 June 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92 laying down general rules for the description and presentation of sparkling wines and aerated sparkling wines

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 of 16 March 1987 on the common organization of the market in wine (1), and in particular Article 72 (1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (2),

Whereas showing the producer's name on the label may help consumers to identify the place of production of a sparkling wine, particularly in the case of quality sparkling wines produced in specified regions, hereafter referred to as 'quality sparkling wines psr`; whereas, in those circumstances, producer Member States should be able to make it compulsory to indicate the producer's name on the label of a sparkling wine;

Whereas provision must be made for the possibility, already open in certain Member States, of using one or more traditional terms as a sales description for certain sparkling wines;

Whereas the sugar in sparkling wines as a finished product may comprise not only residual sugar but also added sugar; whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92 (3) should be adapted accordingly;

Whereas the details required to inform the consumer of the sugar content should be specified;

Whereas, in order to prevent the misuse of names of grape varieties on the label, their repetition must be banned, except where the same name recurs;

Whereas using the name of a grape variety to designate a sparkling wine has a connotation of quality for consumers; whereas this factor should be enhanced and provision should be made, if that name is to be used on the label, for the production process and the fermentation process of the sparkling wine concerned to last at least a minimum period;

Whereas, in the production of certain sparkling wines, three grape varieties must be used to give the wine its character; whereas provision should be made for the possibility of the names of those three grape varieties being used on the labels of such sparkling wines;

Whereas in Case C-309/89 (4) the Court of Justice of the European Communities declared void Article 6 (6) (b) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92 and by the same token the conditions governing the use of the term 'crémant`; whereas, however, that term is used for products which meet stringent production conditions and which, as a result, have gained a certain reputation among consumers; whereas, to prevent the meaning of the term from being diluted, the minimum production conditions to be met if the term is used must be defined;

Whereas the conditions governing the use of certain terms have been defined in some Member States; whereas, to avoid creating confusion and misleading consumers, provision should be made for those terms to be used only under those conditions;

Whereas sparkling wines can only be put on the market in labelled glass bottles closed with mushroom-shaped stoppers in accordance with conditions laid down by regulation; whereas provision should be made for allowing exceptions for products still in the process of production subject to certain conditions and in particular that such exceptions are subject to controls; whereas, as regards quality sparkling wines, it is advisable to place a time limit on such exceptions, to be expressly authorized by the Member States, so that the experience eventually gained can be taken into account;

Whereas 'sparkling wine` -type or similar bottles have been used for a very long time to market sparkling wines;...

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