Publication of a communication of approval of a standard amendment to a product specification for a name in the wine sector referred to in Article 17(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33

(2021/C 61/07)

This communication is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1).

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

‘ASTI’

PDO-IT-A1396-AM05

Date of communication: 4.12.2020

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Grape varieties

Whereas Moscato was previously the only grape variety permitted, other aromatic white grapes suitable for growing in the Piedmont region may now account for up to 3 %. This is not a change of any great importance: the PDO wines are in fact made with Moscato Bianco alone and this amendment has been requested so that vineyards are not found to be non-compliant as a result of the fortuitous presence other grape varieties within the Moscato Bianco production area, as well as when dead or blighted vines are replaced, particularly in older vineyards. This may also occur for reasons linked to the greater prevalence of Esca and Flavescence dorée, or in some cases may be caused by the long-standing rural tradition of growing other white varieties in the vineyards to produce grapes and wine for the family’s own consumption.

This amendment affects Article 2 of the product specification.

2. Wine-making rules

The minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume for ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico (denoting that it has been made using the ‘traditional method’ of sparkling winemaking) is now 10 % rather than 11 %.

Following extensive tests, it has been decided that this requirement for sparkling wines in the Metodo Classico category should be relaxed to facilitate the production of drier types such as pas dosé, extra brut and brut. This is also linked to the amendments below concerning the increased grape yield and extraction rate for sparkling wines in the Metodo Classico category, thus harmonising the criteria applicable to all sparkling wines covered by the PDO, regardless of the method used (traditional or Charmat). These amendments also make it easier for growers to declare the produce of a single vineyard under the different categories.

The amendment to the natural alcoholic strength of the grapes affects Article 4 of the product specification but has no impact on the single document.

3. Maximum yields

For the ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico category, the maximum permitted yield has been changed from 8 to 10 tonnes of grapes per hectare (9,5 for the sub-regions), and the wine extraction rate is now capped at 75 % rather than 60 %. These increases reflect the actual capacity of the vineyards in existence today and the yields that can be obtained according to experiments carried out, which have shown that increasing the yield to 10 tonnes per hectare does not affect the quality or characteristics of the product. There are also technical reasons for requesting this amendment: when the yield of grapes from a vineyard is lower, ripening occurs significantly earlier, causing a sudden drop in acidity, which results in grapes that are often unsuitable for making the drier types of sparkling wine using the traditional method.

This amendment affects point 5(b) of the single document (Maximum yields) and is linked to Articles 4 and 5 of the ‘Asti’ product specification and the same articles in the additional specifications for the Santa Vittoria d’Alba and Strevi sub-regions.

4. Description of the wine(s)

(a) The permitted range of sugar content in the sparkling wines (‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ and ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico) has been extended to cover the pas dosé, brut and extra brut types.

(b) In connection with the introduction of drier sparkling wines, the actual alcoholic strength by volume required for ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico has been changed from ‘6 % to 8 %’ to ‘not less than 6 %’.

(c) The additional product specifications for the Santa Vittoria d’Alba and Strevi sub-regions now also include Metodo Classico sparkling wines.

These amendments relate to the organoleptic characteristics described in Article 6 of the ‘Asti’ product specification, Article 6 of the additional specification for the Santa Vittoria d’Alba sub-area, Article 5 of the additional specification for the Strevi sub-area and point 4 of the single document (Description of the wine(s)).

5. Grape-growing area

The reference to the municipality of Camo in the province of Cuneo has been deleted because it has been merged with the municipality of Santo Stefano Belbo, already listed as part of the grape-growing area. For greater clarity, the precise description of the demarcated geographical area already provided in the product specification has now also been included in the single document.

This is an editorial change which does not affect the demarcated geographical area.

This amendment concerns Article 3 of the product specification and point 6 of the single document (Demarcated geographical area).

6. Wine-making rules

Article 5(11) of the product specification has been deleted. It read as follows: ‘The DOCG wines referred to in Article 1 may not be made using artificial carbonation (whether full or partial), and fermentation inhibitors cannot be used for preservation purposes, even if such practices are generally permitted under existing EU and national law.’

The deleted sub-article contained a ban already present in the legislation – which was therefore superfluous – and a restriction on practices that are in fact lawful; by removing it, winemakers are now required to refer to current EU and national legislation.

Article 5(14) (formerly 5(15)) of the product specification, on the product categories that can be made using the batches of must (understood as the intermediate product of winemaking) declared suitable for making the PDO wines, has been reworded, giving winemakers the freedom to decide which product categories to make from a batch of must in the interests of optimum production management. Therefore, a batch of must recorded in the annual grape production declaration as being suitable for making ‘Moscato d’Asti’ or ‘Moscato d’Asti’Vendemmia Tardiva may be used not only to make ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ but also to make ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico, which was not previously allowed. Moreover, a batch of must intended for ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ or ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico may be used for ‘Moscato d’Asti’ provided that it has the minimum natural alcoholic strength required for the latter.

This amendment concerns Article 5 of the product specification and has no impact on the single document.

7. Naming and labelling wines

While there is a tradition of producing quality aromatic sparkling wines (category 6) – both by the traditional method and otherwise – in the municipalities making up the Santa Vittoria d’Alba and Strevi sub-regions, until now these wines have been marketed as ‘Asti’ PDO. This amendment therefore gives the possibility of labelling these wines with the sub-region in question. This also means that consumers are provided with more precise information on a wine’s origin.

Moreover, the requirements applicable to these wine types under the rules for the sub-regions are more stringent than the criteria for the basic PDO wines. For example, maximum yield is lower (by 1-1,5 tonnes of grapes per hectare) and the grapes are required to have a higher minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume (by 1-1,5 %).

This amendment affects Articles 1 to 7 of the additional product specifications for the Santa Vittoria d’Alba and Strevi sub-regions and is linked to points 4 (Description of the wine(s)) and 5 (Maximum yields) of the single document.

8. Derogation from the requirements that production and bottling take place in the demarcated area

Point 9 of the single document (Essential further conditions) now provides exceptions to the requirement that production and bottling take place in the demarcated geographical area.

These rules have been in the product specification since ‘Asti’ was first recognised as a PDO (in 1967) and were confirmed when the name gained DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or ‘Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin’) status in Italy and the sub-regions were introduced. However, due to an error they were omitted from the single document in 2011, when the files relating to all the pre-existing designations were added to the European Commission’s information system.

This is an editorial change, as the actual rules in the product specification remain unchanged.

This amendment affects point 9 of the single document (Essential further conditions) and has no impact on the product specification.

9. Editorial revisions

Some contact details have been updated. This amendment concerns the Contact details section under Other information in point 1.2 of the single document.

Following the deletion of Article 5(11), the remaining sub-articles within Article 5 have been renumbered.

Article 7(3) of the product specification has been deleted because it is incompatible with the fact that sparkling wines can now be labelled with the name of a sub-region and because the other aspects it mentioned are laid down in current legislation and were therefore superfluous.

The references to legislation in the product specification have been updated.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

‘Asti’

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

6. Quality aromatic sparkling wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ and the sub-region-specific types ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ Santa Vittoria d’Alba and ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ Strevi

Foam: fine, long-lasting

Colour: from straw-yellow to pale gold

Smell: characteristic, delicate

Taste: characteristic, balanced, from pas dosé to sweet.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 11,5 %, including an actual alcoholic strength of at least 6 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 15 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): 6 Minimum total acidity: 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ Metodo Classico (traditional method) and the sub-region-specific types ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ Metodo Classico Santa Vittoria d’Alba and ‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ Metodo Classico Strevi

Foam: fine, long-lasting

Colour: from straw-yellow to very pale gold

Smell: characteristic, pronounced, delicate

Taste: characteristic, balanced, from pas dosé to sweet.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12 %, including an actual alcoholic strength of at least 6 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 17 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): 6 Minimum total acidity: 6 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

‘Moscato d’Asti’ Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest)

Colour: golden yellow

Smell: fruity, very intense, characteristic of the raisined grape with spiced notes

Taste: sweet, harmonious, velvety, with notes of the Moscato variety, which is reminiscent of honeycomb.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 14 %, including an actual alcoholic strength of at least 11 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 22 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

‘Moscato d’Asti’

Colour: straw-yellow of varying intensity

Smell: characteristic fragrant aroma of Moscato

Taste: sweet, aromatic, characteristic, may be lightly sparkling.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 11 %, including an actual alcoholic strength by volume of between 4,5 % and 6,5 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 15 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

Sub-region-specific type ‘Moscado d’Asti’ Santa Vittoria d’Alba

Colour: straw-yellow with hints of gold

Flavour: elegant, fine, fresh and persistent, also with floral notes

Taste: straightforward, harmonious, sweet, aromatic, characteristic of Moscatello grapes, possibly lightly sparkling.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12 %, including an actual alcoholic strength by volume of between 4,5 % and 6,5 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 15 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

Sub-region-specific type ‘Moscato d’Asti’ Canelli

Smell: musky, characteristic fragrant aroma of Moscato

Colour: from varying intensities of straw-yellow to golden

Taste: sweet, aromatic, characteristic, with an aroma of Moscato grapes, possibly lightly sparkling.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12 %, including an actual alcoholic strength by volume of between 4,5% and 6,5 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 16 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

Sub-region-specific type ‘Moscato d’Asti’ Strevi

Colour: from varying intensities of straw-yellow to golden

Smell: characteristic and fragrant aroma of Moscato

Taste: sweet, aromatic, characteristic, with an aroma of Moscato grapes, possibly lightly sparkling.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12 %, including an actual alcoholic strength by volume of between 4,5 % and 6,5 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 15 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 4.5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

Sub-region-specific type ‘Moscato d’Asti’ Vendemmia Tardiva ‘Santa Vittoria d’Alba’

Colour: bright golden yellow

Flavour: composite, fruity, very intense, characteristic of raisined grapes, with spiced notes Taste: sweet, harmonious and velvety, with notes of the Moscato variety, which is also reminiscent of honeycomb.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 15 %, including an actual alcoholic strength of at least 12 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 22 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): Minimum total acidity: 4.5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

5. Wine-making practices

a. Specific oenological practices

NONE

b. Maximum yields

‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’ and ‘Moscato d’Asti’

10 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Asti’ / ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico

10 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Moscato d’Asti’Vendemmia Tardiva’

6 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Moscato d’Asti’ Canelli and ‘Moscato d’Asti’ Strevi

9 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Moscato d’Asti’ Canelli labelled with the term Vigna followed by a place or vineyard name

8 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Moscato d’Asti’ Strevi and ‘Moscato d’Asti’ Santa Vittoria d’Alba

9 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Moscato d’Asti’Vendemmia Tardiva Santa Vittoria d’Alba

5 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

‘Asti Spumante’ Santa Vittoria d’Alba, ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico Santa Vittoria d’Alba, ‘Asti Spumante’ Strevi and ‘Asti Spumante’Metodo Classico Strevi

9 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

‘Asti’ DOCG wines can be made with grapes grown in the area demarcated as follows:

In the province of Alessandria, the following municipalities in their entirety:

Acqui Terme, Alice Bel Colle, Bistagno, Cassine, Grognardo, Ricaldone, Strevi, Terzo and Visone.

In the province of Asti, the following municipalities in their entirety: Bubbio, Calamandrana, Calosso, Canelli, Cassinasco, Castagnole Lanze, Castel Boglione, Castelletto Molina, Castelnuovo Belbo, Castel Rocchero, Cessole, Coazzolo, Costigliole d’Asti, Fontanile, Incisa Scapaccino, Loazzolo, Maranzana, Mombaruzzo, Monastero Bormida, Montabone, Nizza Monferrato, Quaranti, San Marzano Oliveto, Moasca, Sessame, Vesime, Rocchetta Palafea and San Giorgio Scarampi.

In the province of Cuneo, the municipalities of Castiglione Tinella, Cossano Belbo, Mango, Neive, Neviglie, Rocchetta Belbo, Serralunga d’Alba, S. Stefano Belbo, S. Vittoria d’Alba, Treiso, Trezzo Tinella, Castino and Perletto in their entirety and the following subdivisions of the municipality of Alba: Como and San Rocco Senodelvio.

— The Canelli sub-region is formed by the following municipalities in the province of Asti: Calamandrana, Calosso, Canelli, Cassinasco, Castagnole Lanze, Coazzolo, Costigliole d’Asti, San Marzano Oliveto and Moasca in their entirety, plus the territory of the municipalities of Loazzolo and Bubbio located on the left bank of the river Bormida; and the following municipalities in the province of Cuneo: Castiglione Tinella, Cossano Belbo, Mango, Neive, Neviglie, Rocchetta Belbo, Serralunga d’Alba, S. Stefano Belbo, Treiso and Trezzo Tinella in their entirety and the following subdivisions of the municipality of Alba: Como and San Rocco Senodelvio.

— The Santa Vittoria d’Alba sub-region consists of the municipality of Santa Vittoria d’Alba in the province of Cuneo.

— The Strevi sub-region consists of the following municipalities in the province of Alessandria in their entirety: Acqui Terme, Cassine, Ricaldone, Strevi, Terzo, Alice Bel Colle, Bistagno, Grognardo and Visone.

7. Main wine grape variety(ies)

Moscato bianco B. – Moscato reale

8. Description of the link(s)

‘ASTI’ DOCG

‘Asti’ and ‘Moscato d’Asti’ are single-variety wines produced exclusively from Moscato Bianco grapes, which have a distinctive, outstanding aromatic profile. The distinctive qualities that this variety lends the various types of wines, including the sparkling and late-harvest versions, are closely linked to the expert cultivation of the vines by growers and to sometimes innovative winemaking techniques, including the development over recent decades of a range of drier Moscato-based wines in both sparkling and still form.

The suitability for winegrowing of the land, with its particular morphology and chemical composition, and the area’s climate conditions and local winemaking skills and traditions, have made it possible, over the years, to ‘select’ Moscato Bianco as the vine variety best suited to the environment.

In the 18th century, a series of articles published in Lausanne on wine and vineyards around the world specifically referred to a Moscato Bianco of Piedmont, highly rated, and at the end of the century the prestigious Società di Agricoltura di Torino declared Moscato as one of the Piedmont grape varieties most likely to produce highly prized wines. In the 19th century Piedmont was clearly distinguishing itself from the other Italian regions for its widespread cultivation of Moscato Bianco. At the end of the nineteenth century, significant amounts of sparkling wine began to be produced from Moscato grapes, re-fermenting the base wine in the bottle. By 1895, the Charmat method (which was invented in Piedmont) had been honed and the Moscato grape was mainly being used to produce sparkling wine. There was already talk of considerable demand, even from abroad, for the fragrant, sparkling white wine known in the trade as ‘Moscato d’Asti’ or ‘Moscato di Canelli’. By opting for sparkling winemaking, Piedmont clearly set itself apart from the other regions where Moscato was also present (though to a far lesser extent). Most of the Moscato wines produced elsewhere were classed as luxury ‘liqueur’ wines, and Moscato was being used for sparkling wine only in Piedmont, namely in the Asti, Alessandria and Cuneo areas. The same period saw the first experiments with dry sparkling Moscato-based wines (‘Asti Champagne’ in the early 1900s). However, these did not have much commercial success, since limited oenological knowledge meant that it was not possible to mitigate the bitter taste caused by the terpenes of a Moscato wine taken to full fermentation. The addition of sugar for re-fermentation in the bottle, which reduced the bitterness, created too much pressure for the bottles used at the time. The producers of ‘Asti’ DOCG have continued to work on developing dry versions of their various wines (both sparkling and still or lightly sparkling). In the 1980s Piedmontese research institutes began to publish papers on the chemical and aromatic characteristics of dry wines made from Moscato Bianco grapes and on the development of the terpene compounds in Moscato grapes in order to optimise production technology. Those years saw the development of the concept of ‘varietal oenology’, i.e. an increasingly fine-tuned technological approach that sought to enhance the characteristics of the grapes in the final quality of the wine. In the specific case of Moscato, technical developments have allowed fermentation to be prolonged, thus reducing the bitter notes that thwarted the producers’ attempts in the early twentieth century. This progress in know-how was passed on to the winemakers who, over recent decades, have developed Moscato-based wines with less sugar, in both sparkling and still form.

9. Essential further conditions (packaging, labelling, other requirements)

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

On the labels and in the presentation of ‘Asti’ or ‘Asti Spumante’ DOCG wines, the sugar content may not be displayed on the same line as the name and must be shown in a different typeface and in smaller characters than those used to display the name.

Derogation on the production in the demarcated geographical area

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Derogation on the production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

As well as in the grape-growing area, the winemaking operations involved in making ‘Asti’ DOCG wines (including drying grapes for the Vendemmia Tardiva category and the sparkling winemaking process) may also take place anywhere in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo and in Pressione, a sub-division of the municipality of Chieri (Turin) bordering the grape-growing area.

Packaging within the demarcated area

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

‘Asti’ DOCG wines must be bottled within the grape-growing area. In accordance with Article 4 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, bottling must take place in the demarcated geographical area specified above to safeguard quality and reputation, guarantee the origin and ensure the effectiveness of checks.

Link to the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/16195

(1) OJ L 9, 11.1.2019, p. 2.