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 161/05)

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

COMMUNICATION OF STANDARD AMENDMENT MODIFYING THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Montilla-Moriles’

PDO-ES-A1479-AM03

Date of communication: 10 February 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Types of ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO wines. Section B.2 of the specification and Section 4 of the single document

The following information has been added to the descriptions of the wines:

— the corresponding wine category under Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013; and

— the authorised varieties, since not all varieties can be used for all wines.

As the definition of ‘Vino Generoso’ in the E-Bacchus database of traditional terms allows for generoso wines with the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO to be classed as category 1 wines, the Fino type of generoso wine has been included as a category 1 wine.

A typing error concerning aged wines has been corrected, with ‘or’ being removed and ‘and’ being changed to ‘and/or’.

2. Analytical characteristics of the wines. Section B.3 of the specification and Section 4 of the single document

The physico-chemical characteristics have been brought into line with EU requirements regarding the analytical description of wine products, and the parameters total acidity, volatile acidity and sulphur dioxide have been included in the physico-chemical description of the products.

The alcohol range has been amended for the following wines:

— For new ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO wines that do not achieve the alcoholic strength specified, the alcoholic strength has had to be revised downwards to the lower range that applies to young white wines. As a result, the range permitted for unaged white wine and aged wine is ≥ 10 % vol.

— Fino wine may be classed under product categories 1 and 3. In order to distinguish between the two categories, the following footnote (2) has been added to provide clarification: ‘The actual alcoholic strength of Fino wine whose alcohol content has not been artificially increased (wine) is between 14,5 and 17 %. In the case of Fino wine whose alcohol content has been artificially increased (liqueur wine), the range is 15 to 17 % vol.’

Certain values in the sugar content column have been changed:

— As sugar content is generally expressed as glucose and fructose content in physico-chemical analyses performed by accredited laboratories, the concept of reducing sugars has been clarified and the sugar content expressed in terms of glucose and fructose.

— The table has been simplified, and the classification of the sugar content of certain types of wine has been included in Section C.4 ‘Sweetening’.

— The limit for the dry generoso wines Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado is ≤ 4, in accordance with EU legislation.

— The sugar content range of Pale Cream wine has been brought into line with the relevant national legislation (< 115 g/l).

3. Organoleptic characteristics of the wines. Section B.4 of the specification and Section 4 of the single document

The organoleptic characteristics of the different products have been revised in order to adapt them to the criteria established by the tasting panel of the Andalusian Foundation for Monitoring Agri-Food Quality [Fundación para el Control de la Calidad Agroalimentaria de Andalucía – FCCAA], which is the certification body for the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO, and to ensure harmonisation between the types of wine of the various Regulatory Boards in the Andalusian wine sector.

New restrictions have been included for the ‘en rama’ products (those that have undergone no stabilisation other than filtering).

— Following a review of the characteristics of the ‘en rama’ wines, the Regulatory Board has approved physico-chemical restrictions on the turbidity value, making it subject to an objective assessment that is not dependent on the tasting panel.

— As the certification of products marketed in bulk under the PDO cannot be subject to the same organoleptic restrictions as bottled products, requirements have been established for the organoleptic analysis of products in bulk.

The word ‘accredited’ has been deleted from the last paragraph of this section.

4. Winemaking methods. Section C.1 of the specification and Section 5 of the single document

As the production of young wines is a particular feature of the production of white wines, that winemaking method has been removed. The requirements applicable to that type of wine are detailed in Section C.6 ‘Specific oenological requirements for each type of wine’.

The requirement for total alcoholic fermentation (< 5 g/l) in the production of the white wines has been removed, since it does not seem logical to require total alcoholic fermentation in the case of those types of wine to then allow them to be sweetened.

The requirement to use sun-dried grapes in the production of certain sweet wines has been removed, thus allowing sweet wines to be produced in other ways, without using sun-dried grapes.

Certain requirements applicable to the production of sweet wines from sun-dried grapes have been amended:

— The weight limit for the boxes has been reduced to 25 kg.

— The wording regarding the sun-drying process has been simplified and made more clear.

— The typing error in the previous specification has been corrected, with 400 g/l being changed to 450 g/l.

5. Sweetening. Section C.4 of the specification

The original text has been corrected to specify that sweetening is permitted only in the case of wines and generoso liqueur wines.

An explicit reference to the EU rules on sweetening has been included in the text.

The terms that may be used in connection with the sweetening of wines have been listed, and the sugar content ranges have been included.

6. Specific oenological requirements for each type of wine. Section C.6 of the specification

The requirements for the production of young wine have been amended to add the restrictions that were previously set out in Section C.1 ‘Winemaking methods’.

Under aged white wine, the words ‘minimum period of one year’ have been replaced by ‘average minimum period of one year’ to make it clear that the ageing periods in the case of biological ageing are always considered to be average ageing periods. A limit on the average ageing period for biologically aged wines has also been included. That limit is between 1 and 2 years so as not to allow any overlap with category 1 Fino wines.

A distinction has been made between category 1 and category 3 Fino wines.

Under Amontillado wine, the words ‘is produced from Fino wine aged for at least 5 years ...’ have been replaced by ‘is produced from Fino wine that has been biologically aged for at least 5 years ...’ in order to make it clear that the wine must be biologically aged for at least 5 years.

In order to allow products to be made by concentration in the case of the Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado wine types, the restriction concerning the alcohol range for those types of wine applies when the wine is placed on the market and never when ageing begins. To that end, the words ‘In all cases, the oxidative ageing stage must take place when the wine has an actual alcoholic strength of at least 16 % vol.’ have been deleted.

In the case of Pedro Ximénez wine:

— The requirement for 100 % of the grapes used to be Pedro Ximénez grapes has been changed to 95 %. The previous requirement requires consignments to be certified in order to eliminate any that contain grapes of another variety. Given that over 95 % of the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ vineyard area consists of the Pedro Ximénez variety, it seems reasonable to lower that limit, which in no way compromises the final quality of the product. The limit is higher than the 85 % limit for including the variety on the labelling laid down in EU legislation.

— Part of the previous wording has been simplified so as not to repeat the information in the description of the winemaking process for certain sweet wines (Section C.1).

— The restriction setting the alcohol range at 8,5 – 9 % prior to the product being marketed as raisined grape must whose fermentation has been arrested by adding alcohol has been removed. The reasons for this are as follows: — According to EU rules, the product under the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO that may be marketed for use in the ‘Jerez-Xérès-Sherry’ and ‘Málaga’ PDOs is grape must whose fermentation has been arrested by adding alcohol. In no case are restrictions imposed on the alcoholic strength of the product that may be marketed. — The wineries of both the ‘Jerez-Xérès-Sherry’ and the ‘Málaga’ PDOs accept the product referred to in the previous paragraph without specifying a minimum or maximum strength. — In the case of the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO, the limit established in our own specification causes certain stability problems in the product when time passes after its production (6 months to 1 year) and, due to market circumstances, it has not been able to leave the winery that produced it. The stability and health of the product would be better supported if the alcoholic strength were greater than the self-imposed limit in the specification, considering that: — the product made under the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO as raisined grape must whose fermentation has been arrested by adding alcohol can be used for no purpose other than fortification to 15 % in order to produce liqueur wine, with one or two levels of fortification (up to 9 % and up to 15 %); and — in its production, the product remains a raisined grape must whose fermentation has been arrested by adding alcohol, from the start of fortification of the must until the point at which it exceeds 15 % vol. and becomes liqueur wine. — We therefore consider that this self-imposed limit on the initial strength of the must in order to be able to market it with the ‘Jerez-Xérès-Sherry’ and ‘Málaga’ PDOs is clearly unfair as well as detrimental to the interests of producers and purchasers of this product.

— Provision has been made for adding fresh grape must in the production of Pedro Ximénez wine, although a limit of 30 % has been laid down for the quantity of products that may be added.

As regards Moscatel wine, it has been specified that the must does not necessarily have to be fermented and that the ageing methods described in Section C.3 ‘Ageing methods’ are permitted.

As regards generoso liqueur wines, a typing error has been corrected and ‘Medium’ replaced with ‘generoso liqueur wine’. Furthermore, the range of products that may be added has been expanded to ensure consistency with the EU legislation in force for this type of wine.

7. Grape production and processing area. Section D of the specification

The title has been changed from ‘Production area’ to ‘Grape production and processing area’.

The wording regarding the sub-area of superior quality has been refined to expressly include the areas of ‘Sierra de Montilla’ and ‘Moriles Altos’ in the text.

Section D.2 ‘Processing area’, which has been implicitly included in this section, has been removed.

8. Maximum yields per hectare: Section E of the specification

In terms of maximum yield per hectare, it does not seem logical to differentiate between parcels in which the same variety is grown and the same cultivation system used. As the current cultivation techniques make it possible to achieve a similar yield in both areas without compromising the quality of the final product, the maximum yield permitted per hectare has been amended, removing the difference between production areas.

It has been specified that the restriction concerning the maximum permitted yield applies to the production of white wines only.

The maximum yield per hectare requirement limits the yield of grapes (in kg) that can be considered suitable for producing wines with the PDO. If, in a specific case, a producer exceeds the maximum yield per hectare, their yield is used to produce wine without the PDO instead.

It makes sense to have a maximum yield per hectare in the case of production where the grapes arrive at the winepress and are weighed and crushed on the spot. Where drying facilities are used, the situation is different: the fresh grapes are weighed, but, instead of being put in the winepress, they are transported to the drying facilities, where they are dried in the sun for several days until they are ready to be crushed. Nevertheless, the same restriction is imposed as in the case of grapes crushed fresh. It would appear that the conditions were the same; however, is it necessary to limit the maximum yield per hectare for grapes to be transported to drying facilities, given that they are already subject to an implicit production restriction which means that yields of grapes producing musts with less than 450 g/l of reducing sugars cannot be accepted? If fresh grapes with 13 – 13,5o Baumé are not initially used for drying, it will be impossible for them to reach the 26o Baumé that guarantees that the must obtained contains 450 g/l of reducing sugars. This is all the more relevant since the pressing yield is limited to 40 litres of wine per 100 kg of grapes, almost half the limit for fresh grapes.

9. Link through natural factors. Section G.2 of the specification

As the related restriction in Section H.1 ‘Regulatory Board registers’ has been removed, the last part of the sentence – ‘and therefore there is a requirement for at least a certain percentage of the aged wine stocks to come from that sub-area’ – has also been removed.

10. Regulatory Board registers. Section H.1 of the specification

In the case of the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO, there are wineries located outside the area of superior quality, which, due to the legal structure (cooperatives) under which they produce, process and age the products of their members, cannot comply with the requirement to prove the origin of the stocks.

11. Grape production and cultivation practices. Section H.2 of the specification

The deadline for granting authorisation for irrigation with respect to the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO, in terms of method, conditions and practical arrangements, has been set as 31 May.

12. Processing. Section H.3 of the specification

The reference has been changed as the title of Section D.1 ‘Grape production and processing area’ has been amended.

13. Storage and packaging. Section H.5 of the specification

A requirement to identify PDO and non-PDO products as laid down by the Regulatory Board has been added based on the restriction applied on account of the requirement for compliance with the inspection and certification body’s accreditation by the National Accreditation Body (ENAC).

14. Labelling. Section H.6 of the specification

The structure and content of Section H.6 ‘Labelling’ have been amended in order to reorganise, refine and clarify the terms used on the labelling of products with the ‘Montilla-Moriles’ PDO.

15. Inspection body. Section I of the specification

The text has been amended to bring it into line with current EU legislation, and the details of the competent authority appointed to perform checks have been updated.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Montilla-Moriles

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

3. Liqueur wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

1. Young white wine

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and pale yellow to pale golden in colour.

— Smell: fruity and floral aromas.

— Taste: discernible acidity.

* If the sugar content is ≥ 5 g/l, the sulphur dioxide content must be ≤ 250 milligrams per litre.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

13,5

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

10

Minimum total acidity

46,667 in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

9,969

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

200

2. Unaged and aged white wine

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Unaged white wine:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and pale yellow to golden yellow in colour.

— Smell: fruity and floral aromas.

— Taste: discernible acidity.

Aged white wine:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and straw yellow to intense amber in colour.

— Smell: aromas of ageing, for example yeast and/or dried fruit.

* If the sugar content is ≥ 5 g/l, the sulphur dioxide content must be ≤ 250 milligrams per litre.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

—

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

10

Minimum total acidity

46,667 in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

13,292

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

200

3. Generoso wines (category 1)

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Fino:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and straw yellow to old gold in colour.

— Smell: aromas from biological ageing, for example yeast.

— Taste: slightly bitter and saline.

* If the sugar content is ≥ 5 g/l, the sulphur dioxide content must be ≤ 200.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

17

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

14,5

Minimum total acidity

46,667 in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

13,292

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

150

4. Liqueur wines (category 3). Generoso wines

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Fino:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and straw yellow to old gold in colour.

— Smell: aromas from biological ageing, for example yeast.

— Taste: slightly bitter and saline.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

17

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

15

Minimum total acidity

46,667 in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

13,292

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

150

5. Liqueur wines (category 3). Generoso wines

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Amontillado:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and golden to intense amber in colour.

— Smell: aromas of dried fruit and wood from the wine’s dual ageing, biological and oxidative, possibly with notes of varnish.

— Taste: acidic and long.

Oloroso:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and old gold to dark mahogany in colour.

— Smell: aromas of dried fruit and wood from oxidative ageing, possibly with notes of varnish.

— Taste: slightly unctuous and long.

Palo Cortado:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and old gold to dark mahogany in colour.

— Smell: aromas of dried fruit and wood, possibly with notes of varnish.

— Taste: slightly unctuous and long.

In the case of Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado wines, the sugar content (grams of glucose and fructose per litre) must not exceed 4. This value is 9 g/l where the wine’s total acidity expressed as tartaric acid is not more than two units less than the sugar content, both expressedin g/l.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

22

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

16

Minimum total acidity

46,667 in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

13,292

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

150

6. Sweet liqueur wines (category 3)

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Pedro Ximénez:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and old gold to intense mahogany or jet in colour.

— Smell: aromas of raisining, possibly with notes of stalk.

— Taste: very dense.

Sugar content (grams of glucose and fructose per litre) ≥ 272

Moscatel:

— Appearance: clear, lustrous, transparent, and golden yellow to intense mahogany in colour.

— Smell: aromas of the variety, such as floral and fruity notes; possible aromas of raisining.

— Taste: slightly acidic and dense on the palate.

Sugar content (grams of glucose and fructose per litre) ≥ 160

The volatile acidity may be < 2,1 g/l of acetic acid in the types of wine with anaverage age of over 15 or 25 years.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

22

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

15

Minimum total acidity

in milliequivalents per litre

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)

17.945

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

200

5. Wine-making practices

5.1. Specific oenological practices

Specific oenological practice

White wines: After the musts have been obtained, they undergo a process of alcoholic fermentation. After the finished wine has been classified, it can be consumed as an unaged wine, and may undergo sweetening if appropriate, or it can be used as the base wine to produce a different type of wine.

Vinification of certain sweet wines: After the musts have been obtained, they are fortified by adding alcohol of vinous origin until they are within the range specified for this type of wine. The following conditions must be met: harvesting by hand, transportation in 25 kg boxes and sun-drying of the grapes.

Relevant restriction on making the wines

When producing the must and separating the juice from the pomace, suitable pressure must be applied to ensure that the extraction rate does not exceed 70 litres of wine per 100 kilograms of grapes. However, in the particular case of sweet wines produced using sun-dried grapes, the extraction rate must not exceed 40 litres of wine per 100 kilograms of harvested grapes.

Cultivation practice

Only and exclusively those wines made from the vinification of authorised varieties of grape grown in registered vineyards may bear the PDO. The vineyards are irrigated in exceptional circumstances or when the survival of the vine stocks is at risk, always with the aim of improving the quality and ensuring the optimal development of the fruit. Before 31 May each year, the Regulatory Board will stipulate the rules on how best to carry out the harvest, ensuring in particular that the harvest does not begin until the grapes have reached the required level of ripeness, that the grapes are transported without impairing their quality, and that the pace of the harvest is suited to the crushing capacity of the winepress.

5.2. Maximum yields

13 714 kilograms of grapes per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

Grape production and processing area

The area in which the grapes may be grown and the PDO processed comprises the municipalities of Montilla, Moriles, Doña Mencía, Montalbán, Monturque, Puente Genil and Nueva Carteya in their entirety and the municipalities of Aguilar de la Frontera, Baena, Cabra, Castro del Río, Espejo, Fernán Núñez, La Rambla, Lucena, Montemayor and Santaella in part. This is indicated by the map of the production area in Annex A to the specification, which is held by the Regulatory Board and the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture.

The production area includes the ‘Superior’ sub-area, namely the areas of ‘Sierra de Montilla’ and ‘Moriles Altos’, whose soils are albariza and which are also demarcated on the aforementioned map.

Ageing area

The ageing area of the protected wines comprises the entire processing area of the PDO and the city of Córdoba.

7. Main wine grape variety(ies)

MOSCATEL DE ALEJANDRÍA

MOSCATEL DE GRANO MENUDO

PEDRO XIMENEZ

8. Description of the link(s)

The quality and typical characteristics of the wines are marked by their connection to the human and natural factors of the geographical area, and by the complex interaction between those factors and their link to the wine. The vineyards are located in the south of the province of Córdoba. The climate, which is classified as Mediterranean semi-continental, with hot, dry and long summers and short, relatively mild winters, influences the development of the vine, its phenological cycle, and the rapid ripening of the fruit. The soil is the factor that determines the vineyard’s response, and therefore the composition of the grape at the vinification stage, under the strong influence of the area’s climate.

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

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The labelling on the wines must bear quality seals or numbered seals issued by the Regulatory Board.

Optional indications included in the specification:

— Unaged wines: ‘Joven’ (young), ‘Vino de tinaja’ (wine made using a large clay pot) or ‘Vino nuevo de tinaja’ (new wine made using a large clay pot).

— Aged wines: ‘Vino de pasto’ (table wine for everyday consumption).

— Pedro Ximénez sweet wines: ‘Cosecha’ or ‘Añada’ (vintage), possibly indicating the year of the vintage; the indication ‘Superior’ (superior) for wines to which no other products have been added.

— ‘Flor’ and ‘Yema’ (free-run)

— ‘Vino en rama’ or ‘En rama’ (wines that have undergone no stabilisation other than filtering)

— Indications concerning age: — In the case of Fino wines, ‘Pasado’ (mature), if the average age is over 10 years. — ‘Viejo’ (old), if the average age is 15 years or more. — ‘Viejísimo’ (extremely old), if the average age is 25 years or more.

— Larger geographical unit: Andalusia.

Link to the product specification

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/export/drupaljda/PC_DO_Montilla_modificado2.pdf

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