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

(2020/C 434/09)

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

COMMUNICATING A STANDARD AMENDMENT

‘MINERVOIS-LA-LIVINIÈRE’

PDO-FR-A0667-AM01

Submitted on: 9 September 2020

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Yield

In Chapter I, Section VIII of the specification, on the yield of PDO wines, the basic yield has been reduced from 45 to 42 hl/ha and the maximum yield has been reduced from 54 to 51 hl/ha, to bring them into line with the yields for wines with a designation of origin produced in the Minervois region.

The amendment to the maximum yield has also been included in the single document, under ‘Maximum yields’.

2. Growing methods

In Chapter I, Section VI of the specification, on the tending of vineyards,

— the rules on planting density have been supplemented to allow for vines planted as of 31 July 2019, which may have a maximum density of 4 200 plants per hectare, instead of 4 000 plants;

— foliage height for trained vines is increased from 1,40 m2 to 1,60 m2 of external surface of vegetation cover for the production of 1 kg of grapes, which is more in line with the fixed yield;

— the average maximum load per parcel has been reduced from 7 500 to 7 000 plants per hectare.

These changes to the specification bring production conditions into line with the reality on the ground.

These amendments have also been included in the single document, under ‘Wine-making practices’.

3. Analytical characteristics of the product

In Chapter I, Section VII of the specification, on harvesting, the minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume has been increased from 12,5 % to 13 %, and the level at which grapes are considered ripe has been set at a sugar content of less than 218 g/l of must rather than 212 g/l of must. These changes to the specification bring production conditions into line with the reality on the ground.

These amendments have also been included in the single document, under ‘Analytical characteristics’ in the section ‘Description of the wine(s)’.

4. Blending of varieties

In Section IX of the specification, the rules on the blending of varieties state that the proportion of the Carignan N, Cinsaut N, Grenache N, Mourvèdre N and Syrah N varieties combined must be greater than or equal to 80 % of the blend, and the fact that no single variety may account for more than 80 % of the blend has been added.

This amendment has also been included in the single document, under ‘Wine-making practices’.

5. Date of circulation of wines

In Section IX of the specification, on the processing and packaging of the wines, the requirement to indicate the dates of circulation of the wines among traders and the date on which the wines are placed on the market for sale to the consumer has been removed, to eliminate the risk of unfair competition among operators.

This requirement has also been removed from the ‘Specific oenological practices’ section of the single document.

6. Link with the geographical area

In Chapter I, Section X of the specification, on the link with the geographical area, the production figures for these wines of designated origin have been updated using the figures for the 2018 harvest, to specify that 11 000 hl were produced by 45 producers, including 2 wine cooperatives, which produced 20 % of the volume.

These figures have been updated in the single document, under ‘Link with the geographical area’.

In Chapter I, Section X of the specification, on the link with the geographical area, the fact that the wines also reveal spicy notes has been added to the organoleptic description of the wines.

This addition has also been included in the single document, under ‘Organoleptic characteristics’ in the section ‘Description of the wine(s)’.

7. Declaration obligations

In Chapter II of the specification, on the declaration obligations of producers of the designation, the following obligations have been added:

— a document identifying the parcels suitable for irrigation must be attached to the prior declaration for parcels assigned to production of the designation.

— the claim declaration must be accompanied by a copy of the harvest declaration and, where appropriate, a copy of the production declaration or an extract from the stock records for grape and must buyers.

These amendments do not affect the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

Minervois-la-Livinière

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

Analytical characteristics

These are still, dry red wines.

— The wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 13 %, and the grapes are considered ripe if they have a sugar content less than 218 g/l of must.

— The red wines ready to be marketed in bulk or packaged have a malic acid content less than or equal to 0,4 g/l.

— The wines ready to be marketed in bulk or packaged must have a fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose): — less than or equal to 3 g/l for wines with a natural alcoholic strength by volume less than or equal to 14 %; — less than or equal to 4 g/l for wines with a natural alcoholic strength by volume greater than 14 %.

— The total acidity, volatile acidity and total sulphur dioxide contents are those laid down in EU legislation. General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum total acidity Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Organoleptic characteristics

The wines are produced by blending several varieties, in keeping with the tradition of the vineyards of the Languedoc, with most of the blend accounted for by the Grenache N, Mourvèdre N and Syrah N varieties. The wines have an intense purple colour, with shades of terra cotta, and a rich, dense body.

These are complex wines that evolve into notes of spices and cooked or candied fruit, complemented by scents of vanilla or cocoa when aged in oak barrels.

Always powerful and warm, they are long-lasting, concentrated and tannic, but always well balanced. These are wines that keep well, preserving their melt-in-the-mouth, velvety qualities, and that gentle heat and fruitiness so characteristic of the great wines of the South of France.

5. Wine-making practices

a. Specific oenological practices

Growing method

The minimum vine planting density is 4 000 plants per hectare. For vineyards planted after 31 July 2019, the minimum vine planting density is 4 200 plants per hectare.

The spacing between the rows is less than or equal to 2,50 m.

The area available for each plant must not exceed 2,5 m2. This surface area is obtained by multiplying the spacing between the rows by the spacing between the plants.

— Pruning must take place before phenological stage E (according to Baggionili), with three leaves unfolded on the first two buds.

— The vines are pruned using short pruning, with a maximum of 12 buds per plant; each spur has a maximum of two buds.

— Single Guyot pruning may be used for the Syrah N variety, with a maximum of 10 buds per plant, including no more than six on the cane, and no more than two replacement spurs with a maximum of two buds each.

— The foliage height for trained vines must provide 1,60 m2 of external surface of vegetation cover for the production of 1 kg of grapes; this rule applies from 30 June each year.

— The average maximum crop load per parcel is set at 7 000 kg per hectare.

— Irrigation may be authorised.

Specific oenological practice

The wines are produced by blending the grapes, must or wines of at least two varieties.

— The proportion of the Grenache N, Lledonner pelut N, Mourvèdre N and Syrah N varieties combined must be greater than or equal to 40 % of the blend.

— The proportion of the Carignan N, Cinsaut N, Grenache N, Mourvèdre N and Syrah N varieties combined must be greater than or equal to 80 % of the blend, with no single variety accounting for more than 80 % of the blend.

— The wines must be aged until at least 15 October of the year following the harvest.

— The use of thermovinification, continuous fermentation tanks, marc-recycling tanks, vertical stemmers, screw-type separators or continuous presses is prohibited.

All wine-making practices followed must comply with the requirements laid down at EU level and in the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

b. Maximum yields

51 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and aged in the following municipalities:

— Department of Aude: Azille;

— Department of Hérault: Azillanet, Cesseras, Félines-Minervois, La Livinière, Siran.

7. Main wine grape variety(-ies)

Carignan N

Cinsaut N - Cinsault

Grenache N

Lledoner pelut N

Mourvèdre N - Monastrell

Piquepoul noir N

Rivairenc N - Aspiran noir

Syrah N - Shiraz

Terret noir N

8. Description of the link(s)

Description of the geographical area

The geographical area lies in the heart of the geographical area of the registered designation of origin ‘Minervois’, in the Petit Causse region, nestled against the foothills of the Montagne Noire mountain range, the most southerly part of the Cévennes region. The geographical area covers the territory of five municipalities in the Department of Hérault and one municipality in the Department of Aude, which are located in the South of France.

In this landscape of bright, open views and rugged terrain, vines alternate with hills covered in scrubland, pine, juniper and oak trees, interspersed with thalwegs or larger depressions.

The vineyards face south/south-east, at an altitude of between 120 m and 330 m.

The geographical area is bounded to the west by the River Ognon, a tributary of the Aude, and to the east by the Serre d’Oupia massif and the River Espène.

The geographical area belongs to a syncline filled with tertiary molassic sediment, cut by sandstone banks in the centre, conglomerates of lacustrine limestone to the north, and stony terraces scattered to the south.

The climate is characterised by low annual rainfall of between 400 mm and 500 mm and an annual temperature above 14 °C, with more than 2 400 hours of sunshine per year.

The Petit Causse region is shielded from rain coming in from the west by the Laure Minervois hills, which form a natural barrier, while the massif of the Serre d’Oupia blocks maritime air arriving from the Mediterranean. A hot, dry region that experiences a significant water deficit in summer, it benefits nonetheless from cool nocturnal airflows that descend from the ridges of the Causse.

Information on the product and the human factors relevant to the link

Vines have been present in the Minervois since Roman times.

Wine-growing became established in the region after the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis (Narbonne) was founded in 118 BC, thanks to its excellent trade links, including a Roman road linking Toulouse and Lodève, to the north of the Via Domitia.

Many veterans of the Roman legion were granted land here, where they established wine estates (villae). The wines they produced were exported successfully throughout the empire. In the year 92 AD, Emperor Domitian prohibited the planting of new vineyards, to prevent competition.

The names of three municipalities testify to the wine-growing traditions of this era: La Livinière for ‘Cella Vinaria’ (wine cellar), Siran for ‘Villa de Sirius’, which takes its name from the first Roman legionnaire to settle in the region, and Félines for ‘Figulina’, a pottery (especially amphora) studio.

The wine-growing tradition of the region became inextricably bound up with the history of the Languedoc and the great invasions of the 3rd to the 6th centuries. These were followed by the Saracen conquests, which would hamper the expansion of wine-growing between the 7th and 9th centuries. Wine-growing resumed under the impetus of Benedictine abbeys such as those of Agnan de Caunes or the Saint-Jean Abbey.

The opening of the Canal du Midi in 1680, improvements in the road network and the creation of the railways in the 19th century helped to develop wine-growing as a monoculture. This prosperity was subject to the vagaries of the phylloxera epidemic and to overproduction, which reached a high point with the wine-making crisis of 1907. The crisis incited a revolt by the wine-makers of the South of France, but also prompted them to organise, chiefly by developing a cooperative system.

A wine-makers defence association was formed in the Minervois region in 1922. Initially recognised as a wine with the designation of origin ‘Delimited wine of superior quality’ in 1951, ‘Minervois’ was recognised as a registered designation of origin by decree of 15 February 1985, after varietal conversion and the imposition of more precise production conditions.

The wine-makers of La Livinière were always convinced, however, that their land and know-how would leave a mark on the originality of their red wine production. At the dawn of the 1970s, with the help of technical structures and under the impetus of the wine cooperative of the municipality of La Livinière led by Maurice Piccinini, wine-makers sought to ensure the best match between variety and planting site, optimising vine-pruning and training techniques, harvesting at optimum ripeness, and making improvements to wine-making techniques. Maurice Piccinini set up a defence association in 1988. The registered designation of origin ‘Minervois-La Livinière’ was recognised in 1999.

In 2018, 11 000 hl were produced by 45 producers, including 2 wine cooperatives, which produced 20 % of the volume.

The wines are produced by blending several varieties, in keeping with the tradition of the vineyards of the Languedoc, with most of the blend accounted for by the Grenache N, Mourvèdre N and Syrah N varieties.

Causal interactions

Shielded from maritime influences from the east and west, and with its south/south-east exposure, the geographical area enjoys a warm, dry climate. Nestled against the Montagne Noire mountain range, and with the effect of the altitudinal gradient, the area nonetheless enjoys cool night-time temperatures.

These specific conditions help the grapes to achieve optimal ripeness, a certain acidity, and a balance between alcohol and tannins.

The parcels on which the grapes are to be harvested are clearly demarcated. Preference is given to well-exposed, clay-limestone soils with a high stone content, which provide low natural yields. These conditions allow producers to match variety with location, which helps give these wines their particularly concentrated and powerful character.

The Grenache N variety provides warmth and roundness on the palate and favours stony terraces and marl. Syrah N is an early-budding variety that provides sweetness and fruity aromas. Cinsaut N and Carignan N are historical varieties. The former provides finesse, the latter, body and tannins. The Mourvèdre N variety provides delicate tannins and hints of spice.

Over the generations, producers have successfully adapted their wine-making techniques to extract the best from their grapes. Early on, a period of post-fermentation ageing in the tank was introduced, to produce a wine with complex aromas, and above all to ensure that the tannins become round and smooth. To achieve these goals, a minimum ageing period up to 15 October of the year following the harvest year was laid down in the specification.

Wine-making has punctuated the history of the geographical area over the past 2 000 years. References to the Roman Empire abound throughout the region, whether through place names or architecture. The area is host to numerous monuments and vestiges, such as the Church of Centeilles in the municipality of Siran, built on the site of a Roman villa, whose ancient columns are still visible.

Most of the estates were established on the ‘villae’ of former legionnaires, and the vineyards are still adorned with dry-stone huts typical of the region, known as ‘capitelles’, that are often centuries-old.

The producers of this region have managed to take an evocative name of a place steeped in history and turn it into a modern and recognised registered designation of origin.

The registered designation of origin ‘Minervois-La Livinière’ is one of the flagship wines of the Languedoc region.

Sealing the reputation and nobleness of this registered designation of origin, the ‘Livinage’, created at the start of the 1990s, has become an unmissable event at which professionals from the wine industry and journalists gather to sample wines, meet producers and discover the area’s rich diversity.

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

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

— The wines for which the registered designation ‘Minervois-La Livinière’ is claimed under the terms of this specification and which are presented using that designation cannot be declared after harvest, offered to the public, dispatched, marketed or sold unless the designation, accompanied by the words ‘Appellation contrôlée’ [Registered Designation], appear in the harvest declaration, in advertisements, catalogues, and on any labels, invoices or containers, in clearly visible characters.

— The size of the letters of optional words whose use, under EU rules, may be regulated by the Member States, must not be larger in terms of height, width or depth than double the size of the letters forming the name of the registered designation of origin.

— Wines bearing the registered designation of origin may specify on their label the broader geographical unit ‘Languedoc’.

— The size of the letters for this broader geographical unit must not be larger in terms of height or width than half the size of the letters forming the name of the registered designation of origin.

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Derogation concerning production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

The area in immediate proximity, defined by derogation for the production, processing and ageing of the wines, comprises all or part of the territory of the following municipalities of the Department of Aude:

— Pépieux;

— Peyriac-Minervois: the locality of Les Tuileries d’Affiac.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-b203f5e5-0950-4f4c-8407-65615a1d0791

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