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

(2022/C 458/10)

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

‘Lechinţa’

PDO-RO-A0369-AM02

Date of communication: 15 September 2022

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Planting vineyards with new wine grape varieties for red wine production

Many producers in the area of this designation of origin have used European funds from restructuring/conversion programmes to introduce international grape varieties into vineyards for the production of red wines to meet the diversification requirement for wine production in this area, which has previously been planted exclusively with white wine grape varieties. The specificity of the area (climate, relief) makes it conducive to the accumulation of sugars in the grapes, while the anthocyanins in the skin of the grapes result in wines with good alcohol potential and optimal colour intensity.

New grape varieties to produce still red wines have been added to the specification.

Chapters IV, V and VIII of the specification and point 7 of the single document have been amended.

2. Amendment to extend the demarcated geographical area

Chapter III of the specification, which refers to the demarcated production area, has been amended to extend the PDO’s geographical area to the municipality of Cetate with its villages of Satu Nou and Petriș.

The municipality of Cetate is located at the foothills of the Călimani mountains, adjacent to the Transylvanian plateau, bordering the Călimani piedmont to the east, the Bistrița hills to the north-west and the Livezile-Bîrgău depression to the north-east.

The municipality of Cetate and its villages are geographically adjacent, situated approximately 10 km from the municipality of Budacu de Jos, which is included in the Lechința PDO demarcated area, and the soil and climate conditions there are similar to those in the rest of the PDO delimited area.

Chapter III of the specification and point 6 of the single document have been amended.

3. Indication of a new type of still wine being produced – straw wine

The possibility of producing a new type of still white wine called straw wine from Muscat Ottonel has been added to the specification. Straw wine is produced through certain specific processing methods: the grapes are left on straw racks for a maximum of six months until pressing, during which time they undergo two processes, first dehydrating and then natural freezing and dehydrating from September to November, with natural freezing from December to February.

Once the grapes have accumulated a minimum sugar concentration of 400 g/l, they are pressed in a manual press, then fermented in oak barrels with specific yeasts, and finished and stored at low temperature in stainless steel tanks. This type of wine makes full use of the Muscat Ottonel variety’s potential in this PDO area.

Chapter XI of the specification and point 4 of the single document have been amended.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Lechinţa

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

1. White wines

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

The white wines show fruitiness, vinosity and freshness. They are characterised by higher acidity as a result of the climate, which gives the wine freshness and liveliness.

Herbaceous, botanical scent of rose petals and acacia blossom, sometimes with a slightly spicy taste, with higher alcoholic strength, unctuous and full-bodied. Fermented at low temperatures, the wines can develop a secondary scent of fermentation, while a specific scent of honey and honeycomb can develop through storage during maturation and ageing.

Greenish to straw yellow in colour, greenish yellow with golden tones, with a high extract and glycerol content, and a velvety and unctuous taste. The young wine is sometimes reminiscent of freshly mown grass. On the palate, they have bittersweet and spicy notes, and fine scents of citrus, while maturation in wooden barrels and bottle ageing impart an appealing velvetiness.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) 15,00 Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,00 Minimum total acidity 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 18 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 200

2. Red wines

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Hints of black raisins, deep red in colour, even purple in young wine, deep ruby red to brick red in wines over two years old, ruby red with terracotta tones after ageing, garnet red.

Bouquet – green bell peppers, blueberries, black cherries, a distinctive scent of wild vegetation, grass, acacia and linden blossom, of bunches of grapes in their first phase of development; green vegetation, asparagus, green olives, spicy (ginger, green chilli); ageing imparts notes of blackberries, ripe plums, sour cherries and coffee; depending on age, the strong tannin flavour confers hints of tobacco.

Taste – velvety, harmonious, rounded, rich, soft tannins, a faint but unmistakable fruity flavour of prunes (not smoked), blackberries, slight scents of vanilla or cinnamon with ageing, a fine scent of blackcurrants.

Intense aftertaste with a slight jamminess. Bouquet of forest fruit, fresh raspberries, bitter cherries, sour cherries, fresh, velvety taste; maturing and ageing impart a pleasingly long finish.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) 15,00 Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,00 Minimum total acidity 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 20 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 150

3. Straw wine

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Straw yellow, greenish-yellow to golden yellow in colour, with a typical Muscat bouquet (exotic fruit, citrus, floral notes of vine flowers, freshly cut hay, jasmine, acacia), pleasantly rounded and velvety. On the palate, the wines are fresh, fruity (pears, apricots, ripe yellow fruit) and velvety; with ageing, some varieties develop a complex bouquet with well-integrated acidity.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) 15,00 Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,00 Minimum total acidity 4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 18 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 200

5. Winemaking practices

5.1. Specific winemaking practices

1. Winemaking practices

Growing method

— planting density – minimum of 3 500 vines per hectare;

— green harvesting – reducing the number of bunches of grapes at veraison (the onset of ripening), when the potential production exceeds the maximum limits admitted under the specification for wines bearing the Lechinţa controlled designation of origin.

5.2. Maximum yields

1. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Pinot gris, Sauvignon, Neuburger, Fetească regală, Traminer roz varieties 12 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

2. for the DOC-CMD traditional term, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fetească neagră, Merlot, Pinot noir varieties 12 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

3. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Riesling Italian, Fetească albă, Chardonnay varieties 10 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

4. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Muscat Ottonel variety 8 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

5. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Pinot gris, Sauvignon, Neuburger, Fetească regală, Traminer roz varieties 80 hectolitres per hectare

6. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Cabernet Sauvignon, Fetească neagră, Merlot, Pinot noir varieties 78 hectolitres per hectare

7. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Riesling Italian, Fetească albă, Chardonnay varieties 66 hectolitres per hectare

8. harvested at full maturity (CMD), Muscat Ottonel variety 53 kilograms of grapes per hectare

9. straw wine (Muscat Ottonel) 5 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

10. straw wine (Muscat Ottonel) 12,50 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

Bistrița-Năsăud county:

— Municipality of Lechinţa – villages of Lechinţa, Sângeorzu Nou, Vermeş, Ţigău and Sâniacob;

— Municipality of Galaţii Bistriţei – villages of Galaţii Bistriţei, Herina and Tonciu;

— Municipality of Matei – villages of Matei, Corvineşti, Enciu and Bidiu;

— Municipality of Braniştea – village of Braniştea;

— Municipality of Petru Rareş – villages of Petru Rareş and Reteag;

— Municipality of Uriu – village of Uriu;

— Municipality of Şieu – Odorhei – villages of Şieu-Odorhei and Bretea;

— Villages of Teaca, Viile Tecii, Archiud, Ocniţa and Pinticu;

— Village of Urmeniş;

— Village of Milaș;

— Villages of Șieu, Ardan, Posmuș and Șoimuș.

— Municipality of Bistrița, comprising the localities of Ghinda and Viișoara

— Villages of Dumitra and Cepari;

— Villages of Budacu de Jos, Buduș and Jelna;

— Village of Livezile;

— Municipality of Cetate – villages of Satu Nou and Petriș.

— Mureș County:

— Villages of Batoș, Dedrad, Goreni and Uila;

— Villages of Band, Mădăraș, Mărășești, Drăculea Bandului, Fânațe, Negrenii de Câmpie and Fânațele Mădărașului;

— Villages of Ceuașu de Câmpie and Culpiu.

7. Wine grape variety(-ies)

Cabernet Sauvignon N – Petit Vidure, Bourdeos tinto

Chardonnay B – Gentil blanc, Pinot blanc Chardonnay

Fetească albă B – Păsărească albă, Poama fetei, Mädchentraube, Leanyka, Leanka

Fetească neagră N – Schwarze Mädchentraube, Poama fetei neagră, Păsărească neagră, Coada rândunicii

Fetească regală B – Königliche Mädchentraube, Königsast, Kiralyleanka, Dănășană, Galbenă de Ardeal

Merlot N – Bigney rouge

Muscat Ottonel B – Muscat Ottonel blanc

Neuburger B – Neuburg

Pinot Gris G – Affumé, Grauer Burgunder, Grauburgunder, Grauer Mönch, Pinot cendré, Pinot Grigio, Ruländer

Pinot noir N – Blauer Spätburgunder, Burgund mic, Burgunder roter, Klăvner Morillon Noir

Riesling Italian B – Olasz Riesling, Olaszriesling, Welschriesling

Sauvignon B – Sauvignon verde

Traminer Rose Rs – Rosetraminer, Savagnin Rose, Gewürztraminer

8. Description of the link(s)

8.1. Details of the area

The terrain is exclusively hilly, comprising the Sub-Carpathian hills (Bistrița and Mureșu hills) in the east, and the high hills of the eastern Transylvania Plain (Jimboru, Lechinţa, Comlod and Mădăraș hills) in the west. The hills generally peak at an altitude of 300-500 m and have moderately or steeply inclined slopes (5° to 25°), and the vineyards are spread out widely. Average recorded precipitation is 650-700 mm/year in the valleys (715 in Beclean, 680 in Bistrița, 655 in Reghin, 647 in Chiochiș, 640 in Lechței, 635 in Teaca) and around 800 mm on the hilly peaks, reaching a maximum in May-August and a minimum in winter, when snow prevails for 30 to 40 days on average.

8.2. Link with the demarcated area

The vineyards are usually on the southern, south-eastern or south-western slopes, and in the valleys between hills, where there is heat and light.

The low temperatures (5-10 oC) during the harvesting period decrease the oxidative and enzymatic processes, helping the grapes to stay in good condition and maintaining the quality of the scents specific to the varieties. The high acidity of the must is an important factor in must clarification operations and later helps to speed up the fermentation process.

The occurrence of foggy days in late summer, which continue for almost a third of the autumn (September and October), result in the grapes' slow maturation and the retention of scents and of constantly high acidity levels, which favourably influence the quality of the wines obtained. Furthermore, during the grape ripening period, average daytime temperatures are around 23 oC and average night-time temperatures around 12 oC. These two factors result in a constant increase in sugar content, while acidity is reduced, remaining constant or almost constant. This environment of reduced grape oxidation favours a constant increase in the quality of the free and bound scents, which are at high levels at the end of the ripening period.

8.3. Product details

The white wines show fruitiness, vinosity and freshness. They are characterised by higher acidity as a result of the climate, which gives the wine freshness and liveliness. They are greenish to straw yellow in colour, greenish yellow with golden tones, with a high extract and glycerol content, and an unctuous taste.

They have appealing botanical scents, of rose petals, acacia blossom, raspberries, bitter cherries, sometimes with a slightly spicy taste. They are balanced as a result of the higher alcoholic strength, while the glycerol can make them unctuous and full-bodied. Fermented at low temperatures, the wines can develop a secondary scent of fermentation, while a specific scent of honey can develop through storage during maturation and ageing (the young wine is sometimes reminiscent of freshly cut hay).

On the palate, they tend towards bittersweet, slightly spicy or fine citrus scents, while maturation in wooden barrels and bottle ageing give them a pleasant velvetiness.

The red wines have hints of raisins, an intense taste after at least 18 months of storage, a deep red colour with hints of purple when young, deep ruby red when aged for over two years, sometimes brick red or ruby red, bright, with terracotta tones after ageing.

The fruity scents are of blueberries, black cherries, a distinctive scent of wild vegetation, and of bunches of grapes. Ageing often imparts scents of blackberries, ripe plums, sour cherries and coffee: depending on age, the strong tannin flavour becomes milder, bringing hints of tobacco, vanilla, coconut, liquorice, green bell peppers, green olives, toast and ginger.

Faint but unmistakable scents of prunes (not smoked) and blackberries; depending on the ageing period, notes of vanilla and cinnamon appear, with fine hints of blackcurrants. The wines are firmly astringent and full-bodied, with a botanical flavour and scent. With ageing, some wines may lose a little unctuosity, but they gain a harmonious bouquet.

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

Marketing conditions (labelling)

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

No additional provisions.

In accordance with the producers’ wishes, and to enhance the association of certain names of localities with wine-making traditions, one of the following single vineyard designations may, or may not, be added to the Lechința protected designation of origin: VERMEȘ, SÂNIACOB, SÂNGEORZU NOU, TEACA, URMENIȘ, DUMITRA, VIIȘOARA (STEINIGER), BATOȘ, CULPIU.

Link to the product specification

https://www.onvpv.ro/sites/default/files/caiet_sarcini_doc_lechinta_modif_cf_cererii_2_de_modif_din_28.06.2018_no_track_changes_0.pdf

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