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

(2022/C 31/10)

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

‘Barbera d’Alba’

PDO-IT-A1068-AM04

Date of communication: 21 October 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Barbera d’Alba - designated as being from the Castellinaldo subarea

The defined geographical area for the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ PDO includes a subarea called ‘Castellinando’. This area with unique characteristics has traditionally been known to be particularly suited to winegrowing and has been included in the specification for ‘Barbera d’Alba’ from the outset, so much so that wine bearing the name ‘Barbera Castellinaldo’ has been produced in this area since the early 20th century. In the 1990s, the producers came together to form an association with a view to establishing more restrictive rules than those which apply for the wines covered by the PDO. The Castellinaldo subarea has been expressly defined. It includes the municipality of Castellinaldo d’Alba and part of the municipalities of Vezza d’Alba, Canale, Priocca, Magliano Alfieri, Castagnito and Guarene in Cuneo province. The rules for the Castellinaldo subarea are set out at the end of the specification for ‘Barbera d’Alba’, with more restrictive conditions intended to highlight its unique characteristics. The soil is not as sandy and the land is more similar to that which lies right of the River Tanaro. In terms of relief, the hills are much gentler than in the rest of the area covered by the PDO. The soil is less sandy but the presence of clay makes up for that (Marne di Sant’Agata, fossil layer, Upper Tortonian). The subarea represents around 20 % of the area eligible for the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ PDO, equivalent to a potential area of 207 hectares with a potential output of some 1 837 000 bottles.

The amendments concern Articles 1 and 9 of the general specification for the PDO (the rules for the Castellinaldo subarea and the section on the link, respectively), as well as the following sections: 4. Description of the wine(s); 5. Wine-making practices; 5.1 Specific oenological practices and 5.2 Maximum yields; 6. Grape production area; 8. Link with the environment.

2. Grape production area

— To improve clarity, the description in the specification of the production area for the Barbera d’Alba PDO grapes has been reworded to include more details. This is because the existing description was too general. This is a clerical amendment that does not entail any change to the demarcation of the geographical area.

— The boundaries of the Castellinaldo grape production subarea within the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ PDO area have also been described.

The amendments concern Section 4 of the single document (Demarcated geographical area).

3. Description of the link

— The section on the link has been expanded to include information on the Castellinaldo subarea.

— The expanded description of the link in Article 9 (Link with the environment) of the specification has also been included in Section 8 (Description of the link) of the single document.

4. Maximum yields

The maximum grape yields per hectare for the Castellinaldo subarea have been added. These are more restrictive than those which apply to the wines covered by the general DOC. This amendment concerns Section 5 of the single document (Winemaking practices; 5.2 Maximum yields).

5. Clerical amendments

— References to the contact details have been added to the Other information section of the single document (points 2.1; 2.2 and 2.5).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Barbera d’Alba

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s):

1. Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba Superiore, Barbera d’Alba Vigna (Category: Wine)

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Colour: ruby red; Aroma: fruity and distinctive; Taste: dry, full of flavour, harmonious; Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12,00 % to 12,50 %; Minimum sugar-free extract: 23,0 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 in grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

2. Barbera d’Alba designated as being from the Castellinaldo subarea and bearing the ‘Vigna’ indication (Category: Wine)

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Colour: ruby red, tending to garnet with age; Aroma: fruity and distinctive; Taste: dry, full of flavour, harmonious, well structured; Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12,50 %; Minimum sugar-free extract: 25,0 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 5,0 in 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

Specific oenological practices

1. Ageing period for ‘Barbera d’Alba’ PDO wines designated as being from the Castellinaldo subarea

Specific oenological practice

— To qualify for the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ DOC with the Castellinaldo subarea designation, the wine must undergo a 14-month ageing period, of which at least 6 months must be spent in wooden barrels and 3 in the bottle, counting from 1 November of the year in which the grapes are harvested.

Maximum yields

1. Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba Superiore

10 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

2. Barbera d’Alba designated as being from the Castellinaldo subarea

9 500 kilograms of grapes per hectare

3. Barbera d’Alba and Barbera d’Alba Castellinaldo subarea bearing the ‘vigna’ indication

9 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes intended for the production of wine with the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ designation of origin must be grown in the area of origin, which consists of the entire municipalities of:

Alba, Albaretto della Torre, Barbaresco, Barolo, Borgomale, Camo, Canale, Castagnito, Castellinaldo, Castiglione Falletto, Castiglione Tinella, Castino, Corneliano d’Alba, Cossano Belbo, Diano d’Alba, Govone, Grinzane Cavour, Guarene, Magliano Alfieri, Mango, Monforte d’Alba, Montelupo Albese, Monticello d’Alba, Neive, Neviglie, Novello, Perletto, Piobesi d’Alba, Priocca, Rocchetta Belbo, Roddi, Roddino, Rodello, S. Vittoria d’Alba, S. Stefano Belbo, Serralunga d’Alba, Sinio, Treiso, Trezzo Tinella, Verduno, Vezza d’Alba; and part of the territory of the municipalities of Baldissero d’Alba, Bra, Cortemilia, Cherasco, La Morra, Monchiero, Montà d’Alba, Montaldo Roero, Monteu Roero, Narzole, Pocapaglia, S. Stefano Roero and Sommariva Perno, in Cuneo province.

— Grapes intended for the production of Barbera d’Alba wines designated as being from the Castellinaldo subarea must be produced within the confines of the municipality of Castellinaldo d’Alba or in part of the municipalities of Vezza d’Alba, Canale, Priocca, Magliano Alfieri, Castagnito and Guarene, in Cuneo province.

7. Main wine grape variety(ies)

Barbera N.

Nebbiolo N.

8. Description of the link(s)

Link with the environment

A) Barbera d’Alba wines have their origin in the ‘Langhe’ (meaning long, low-lying hills), a term which some experts claim is derived from ‘langues’, i.e. strips of land forming vivid contours that vary with the passage of the seasons. From the geological perspective, these long, low-lying hills trace their origin to the Tertiary or Cenozoic era, which began nearly 70 million years ago. The production area of high hills overlooking the River Tanaro is characterised by white tuffaceous marl. Most of the land in the territory belongs to the geological formation known as the ‘terreno tortoniano’ [Tortonian soil], one of the 14 strata making up the sedimentary soil of Piedmont’s tertiary river basin. The Tortonian soil typically consists of layers of sand and marl. The bluey-grey marl is not very solid and results in fairly low, rolling hills of whitish hue that are ideally suited to wine-growing. The Barbera vine variety is a prime example of how well-suited the Langa and Roero areas are to wine-growing: excellent for ageing, and at the same time, exciting younger wines. It is mainly grown on the south-western slopes, using espalier training and Guyot pruning techniques.

B) Details of the quality or characteristics of the product essentially or exclusively attributable to the geographical environment ‘Barbera d’Alba’ Category I wine is made using the Barbera variety alone. However, in some cases, a small amount of Nebbiolo grapes have been traditionally added to offset the acidity that is typical of the vine variety.

C) Description of the causal link between the elements referred to in (A) and (B). Barbera wine used to be considered a ‘country’ wine but over time it has risen in public esteem, as appropriate winemaking processes have been proven to result in both excellent ready to drink wines and well-structured wines with medium shelf lives that age well and conserve, after many years, the most unique characteristics of this particularly prestigious vine variety and territory. The Castellinaldo subarea runs along the left bank of the River Tanaro, where the land is looser in texture and the sandy component is higher than in the other municipalities where ‘Barbera d’Alba’ is produced. This aspect has always differentiated the wines produced in this area, to the extent that the ‘Barbera d’Alba’ - ‘Castellinaldo’ combination became increasingly prominent. The wine had already been recognised in a number of publications, including some important ones, such as Fantini’s Monograph in the late 19th century. Producers in the Castellinaldo subarea came together to form an association in the late 1990s, with a view to adopting more restrictive rules than those of ‘Barbera d’Alba’ wines.

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

—

Link to the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/17437

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