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

(2020/C 432/10)

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

COMMUNICATION OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS’

PDO-FR-A1364-AM02

Submitted on: 1.10.2020

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Pruning

In the table in point VI(1)(b) of Chapter 1 entitled ‘Pruning system known as “Chablis pruning”’, point (c) in the ‘Description’ row is replaced by the following: ‘A replacement spur known as a “rachet”, intended for a maximum of two buds between each spur, is left at the base of the vine.’.

One of the two authorised arrangements for the spur when applying this pruning method is not used practice. The purpose of this amendment is therefore to correct this incorrect description.

The single document is not affected by this amendment.

2. Other crop-related practices

A rule is introduced in point VI(2)(c) with the following wording: ‘the use of pre-emergence herbicides between rows is prohibited’.

The aim is to limit the use of inputs, reduce pollution of water resources and encourage operators to diversify their practices, focusing on techniques involving grassing or mechanical weed control.

The single document is not affected by this amendment.

The rule in point (c) of the previous version of the specification is retained and becomes point (d) in the new version.

3. Link with the geographical area

In point X(2) entitled ‘Information on the quality and characteristics of the product’, information has been added that was previously missing on the visual appearance of the red and rosé wines and on the aromas of the white wines.

The following information is added:

‘For the rosé wines: they are light in colour, ranging from pale pink to dark salmon pink. The red wines have a transparent red colour of varying intensity. The white wines have subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity or mineral nature.’

This amendment was approved by Order of 28 June 2017.

The information has been added to the section of the single document entitled ‘Description of the wine(s)’.

The initial content relating to the description of the link(s) in the single document has been replaced by the entire text of Part X ‘Link with the geographical area’ of Chapter I of the specification.

This replacement thus ensures that the detailed and precise information required by the legislation, including additional information on the organoleptic characteristics of the wines, is provided.

4. Transitional measures

In point XI(2), the transitional measure is deleted because the deadline has now expired.

The single document is not affected by this amendment.

5. Main points to be checked and evaluation methods

In point I of Chapter III of the specification, the table of the main points to be checked and the corresponding evaluation methods has been updated by adding a number of points and supplying details of some of the evaluation methods.

The single document is not affected by this amendment.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

Coteaux champenois

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

Analytical characteristics

The wines are still white, rosé and red wines.

The wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 9 %.

After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13 %.

The wines have a fermentable sugar (glucose and fructose) content not exceeding 3 grams per litre.

Malolactic fermentation is completed for the red wines.

At the packaging stage, the red wines have a malic acid content not exceeding 0,4 grams per litre.

The total volatile acidity, total acidity and sulphur dioxide contents are those laid down by EU legislation.

The red wines have a transparent red colour of varying intensity, while the rosé wines are light in colour, ranging from pale pink to dark salmon pink. These wines are very light and fine wines, with a sharp attack in the mouth and generally red fruit aromas.

The texture of the white wines is crystalline and saline, with a dominant minerality and a pleasant aftertaste. Their natural acidity gives them a certain liveliness. They have subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity or mineral nature.

Ageing brings softness to the wine and contributes to its balance of taste.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum total acidity in milliequivalents per litre Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

5. Wine-making practices

a. Specific oenological practices

Planting density – general provisions

Growing method

The vines are planted so that the spacing between rows does not exceed 1,5 metres. The spacing between plants in the same row ranges from 0,9 metres to 1.50 metres. The sum of the spacing between rows and the spacing between plants in the same row must not exceed 2,5 metres.

Planting density – special provisions

Growing method

In order to allow the passage of suitable machinery, parcels with

— either a slope of more than 35 %

— or a slope of more than 25 % and a cant of more than 10 %

may have alleys 1,5 metres to 3 metres wide once every sixth row at the most. In this case, the sum of the spacing between the other rows and the spacing between plants in the same row must not exceed 2,3 metres.

Pruning rules

Growing method

Plants must not overlap each other nor may branches overlap fruit.

The number of buds must not exceed 18 per square metre.

Pruning is carried out at the latest before the phenological stage (F) (Lorenz stage 12), i.e. four unfolded leaves.

The vines are pruned according to the following techniques:

— Chablis pruning

— (Royat) cordon pruning

— Marne Valley pruning

— single Guyot, double Guyot and asymmetrical Guyot pruning

Harvesting

Growing method

Any method not allowing whole grape bunches to be harvested is prohibited.

The grapes must be transported whole to the wine-making facilities.

Specific oenological practice

The use of wood chips is not permitted.

The use of oenological charcoal to make rosé wines, either alone or mixed in preparations, is prohibited. During enrichment, the increase in the volume of the fermenting grape must used must not exceed 1,12 % for every 1 % increase in the alcoholic strength.

In addition to the above provisions, all wine-making practices followed must also comply with the requirements laid down at EU level and in the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

b. Maximum yields

Upper yield limit

15 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made and developed (including ageing and packaging) in the territories defined by Article 17 of the Law of 6 May 1919.

7. Main wine grape variety(-ies)

Arbane B

Chardonnay B

Meunier N

Petit Meslier B

Pinot blanc B

Pinot gris G

Pinot noir N

8. Description of the link(s)

Information on the geographical area and on the quality and characteristics of the product

Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

The geographical area is the same as the area covered by the ‘Champagne’ registered designation of origin. It is located in the north-east of France and extends to municipalities spread across the departments of Aisne, Aube, Haute-Marne, Marne and Seine-et-Marne.

Like the geographical area, the parcels selected for harvesting the grapes are the same as those defined for the ‘Champagne’ registered designation of origin. They form part of a landscape characterised by vineyards situated on slopes formed by the cuestas of the eastern part of the Paris basin, which are imposing geomorphological structures:

— the Côte d’Ile-de-France in the department of Marne and the slopes of the associated valleys, comprising from north to south the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley (which extends from the south of Aisne to Seine-et-Marne), the Côte des Blancs and the Côte du Sezannais for the most iconic areas,

— the Côte de Champagne with the Vitryat Marnais and the Montgueux area of Aube,

— the Côte des Bar, interspersed with numerous valleys, connecting the Bar-sur-Aube area in the east and that of Bar-sur-Seine in the west, straddles the departments of Aube and Haute-Marne.

This typical cuesta terrain, with its adjacent valleys, has slopes exposed to the east and south and sometimes to the north, as is the case for the northern Montagne de Reims and the left bank of the Marne Valley.

The top of the slopes consist of hard layers of limestone or chalk, while the slopes themselves are chalky, marly or sandy, with softer ground cleared by erosion and then silted up with overlying material from the tops of the slope.

The vineyards are located in the northern area. There are two climate influences:

— an oceanic climate supplying regular rainfall, with limited temperature differences between seasons, and

— a continental climate responsible for sometimes destructive frost and favourable sunshine in summer.

Description of the human factors relevant to the geographical link

Although they have been present in the region since antiquity, vines became well established in Champagne in the ninth century following the development of winegrowing by monks. The wines were thus known in the Middle Ages under the name ‘Vins de France’ because they were produced in the Paris basin, bordering the Royal Estate.

Until the eighteenth century, the province of Champagne was primarily an area in which red wines were produced. According to Pierre Galet, they were produced much more than white and rosé wines (known as ‘paillets’) before the skill of producing sparkling wines using the second bottle-fermentation process was mastered. In the nineteenth century, the reputation of Champagne’s sparkling wines grew, and the production of red wines declined. Only a few high-quality wines produced in the Montagne de Reims, the Great Marne Valley and Aube retain a good reputation.

The Law of 22 July 1927, under which the designation ‘Champagne’ was reserved solely for sparkling wines, introduced the indication ‘Vins originaires de la Champagne viticole’, which was changed to ‘Vins natures de Champagne’ from 1953 onwards. Rehabilitated thanks to the efforts of a few winegrowers who carry on the tradition of these ‘vins natures’, the wines were given the ‘Coteaux champenois’ registered designation of origin in 1974 following the adoption of the Law of 12 December 1973, which prohibits the use of the designation ‘vins natures de la Champagne’.

Wines falling under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ registered designation of origin are produced only if the characteristics of the harvest are suited to the production of still wines. Output is therefore very variable.

In order to prevent fraudulent practices from wines moving in bulk, the producers requested the enactment of the Law of 23 May 1977, which prohibits wines produced under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ registered designation of origin from being transported other than in bottles, with the exception of movements between local operators within the demarcated Champagne wine region.

Production is managed by the same professional organisations as those established for the ‘Champagne’ registered designation of origin, namely the ‘Syndicat Général des Vignerons de Champagne’ (established in 1904) and the ‘Union des Maisons de Champagne’ (founded in 1882), which are grouped together within the ‘Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne’ (established in 1941).

Information on the quality and characteristics of the product

The wines in question are still red, white and rosé wines, often designated by the name of the municipality in which the grapes are harvested.

The red wines have a transparent red colour of varying intensity, while the rosé wines are light in colour, ranging from pale pink to dark salmon pink. These wines are very light and fine wines, with a sharp attack in the mouth and generally red fruit aromas.

The texture of the white wines is crystalline and saline, with a dominant minerality and a pleasant aftertaste. Their natural acidity gives them a certain liveliness. They have subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity or mineral nature.

Ageing brings softness to the wine and contributes to its balance of taste.

Causal interactions

The broad widening of the three cuestas onto the plane and valleys ensures that the vineyards, even the north-facing ones, get enough light to ripen the berries. The eastern and southern exposure of the traditional areas most reputed for the production of ‘Coteaux champenois’ wines means that the vineyards receive maximum light in spring and autumn, providing optimum conditions for the flowering of vines and ripening of berries.

The open landscape prevents the stagnation of the cold air, thereby reducing the risk of frost. However, the climate of the Champagne region requires winegrowers to select only healthy grapes from the mildest years, chosen from the best parcels and mainly from old vines, and to harvest the grapes when they are fully ripe.

The gradient of the slopes on which vines are planted ensures optimum natural drainage, which is also guaranteed by the various substrates, which allow for natural regulation of the moisture balance of the soil. Thanks to its porosity and permeability, chalk eliminates excess water while ensuring that the soil is rehydrated in dry weather as a result of the capillary rise of water. The other subsoils combine with the marl levels, which provide the water reserve, in the form of either calcareous banks or carbonated sands, whereby the latter allow the infiltration of excess water from wet periods. This type of subsoil and the delicate climatic conditions have been key to determining where different vine varieties are planted in the various winegrowing areas.

The Champagne region’s unique climatic conditions give a natural acidity to the grapes and subsequently the wines, determining the lively character of the wine on tasting, and highlighting the mineral notes contributed by the substrate.

The wines are often made from black grapes which, according to Jules Guyot, are more resistant to the effect of frost and rain and ripen earlier. In 1822 André Jullien rated ‘[the red wines] of Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly, Saint-Basle, Bouzy and Saint-Thierry among the best wines in France when produced in very hot and dry years’.

Making the red or rosé wines by means of maceration of varying duration is the most propitious way of capturing the aromas of the Pinot noir N and Meunier N varieties and ensuring their development during fermentation. For the white wines, ensuring that the grapes remain whole from harvesting and are pressed gently, in accordance with practices in the Champagne region, makes it possible to avoid the colouring of juices made from black grapes and thus to guarantee the clarity of the wine.

Red wines from the province of Champagne, particularly appreciated for the natural finesse of their bouquet, featured among the great wines served at the coronation of the French kings in Reims from 1328 (Philippe de Valois). Powerful European sovereigns would even go on to acquire vines in the Montagne de Reims area, and Henry IV was keen to assume the title of Lord of Ay. The tasters at the Court of Louis XIV, bestowed with the title of ‘ordre des Coteaux’ [Order of the Slopes], enshrined the renown and reputation of these wines: In 1671, the Count of Olonne was advised by Charles de Saint-Évremond to ‘spare no expense in obtaining Champagne wine’. ‘There is no province that supplies more excellent wines for all seasons than Champagne.’

Many documents from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries provide a record of these praises. In 1822, Champagne wines were described by André Jullien as ‘distinguished among the best fine wines in the Kingdom’. Thanks to the professionalism of producers, this renown endures to this day. These wines must be drunk with respect and a certain historical curiosity, bearing in mind that they go back to ancient times.

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

Additional names

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

Wines with the registered designation of origin may bear the name of a smaller geographical unit on their labels, provided that:

— it is the name of a place in the land register

— it appears on the harvest declaration.

The indication of a place name is permitted only if all the grapes used to produce the wines come from the place in question.

Specification of the grape variety

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The grape variety may be indicated in characters of not more than 3 mm in height and width and which are up to half the size of the characters making up the name of the registered designation of origin. A particular grape variety may be indicated only if all the grapes are of that variety.

Packaging

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

The Law of 23 May 1977 prohibits wines produced under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ registered designation of origin from being transported between local operators other than in bottles, with the exception of movements within the demarcated Champagne wine region.

After ageing, the wines are placed on the market for sale to the consumer from 15 October of the year following the year of harvest.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-6545017e-a945-4b6c-9e95-cb6f26380a23

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