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

(2020/C 217/10)

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

‘ALELLA’

PDO-ES-A1423-AM04

Date of communication: 3.4.2020

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Enlargement of the geographical area of the do

The amendment concerns extending the demarcated area to include the municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, amending point 6 of the product specification and point 1.6 of the Single Document.

It is therefore considered a standard amendment as it does not affect the name of the designation of origin, nor does it change the wine categories or affect the link to the area, and it is not a restriction on trade.

Reasons:

The municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet has submitted a request for its territory to be included in the scope of the ‘Alella’ PDO and provided the required technical documentation.

The report submitted demonstrates that the soil, climate and environmental conditions in this municipality are similar to the those in the current demarcated area for the ‘Alella’ PDO. This is because they are part of the same geomorphological system comprising Sierra de la Marina, San Mateo, Corredor and Montnegre, between the Besós and Tordera rivers, which has a granite bedrock that decomposes to form the ‘sauló’ soil typical of the area.

Santa Coloma de Gramenet is therefore part of the continuous natural territory for the ‘Alella’ PDO.

While traditional wine-growing had been in decline in this municipality, there has been something of a revival in recent years. The highlight is a winegrowing heritage recovery project at Vinya d’en Sabater launched in 2015. One example of this in growing interest is the agreement between the University of Barcelona, INCAVI (Catalan Institute of Vine and Wine) and the Council of Santa Coloma de Gramenet – with the support of ‘Alella’ PDO – to study the suitability of four local vine varieties for environmentally friendly growing techniques.

The municipality and the professionals behind this project that are seeking the protection of the ‘Alella’ PDO would like to be able to market the product as soon as possible, as well as increase the number of plots in production and the number of wineries.

Furthermore, the 10th additional provision of Law 2/2020 of 5 March 2020 on winegrowing and winemaking, under the heading on protection of peri-urban areas (such as the municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet), sets out the commitment of the Catalan Public Administration to setting up a special project to protect peri-urban wine production areas in order to avoid the pressures of urbanisation and safeguard the continuity of the winegrowing tradition.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

Alella

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

3. Liqueur wine

5. Quality sparkling wine

8. Semi-sparkling wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

White wine and rosé wine

Made from the varieties listed in section 6 of the specification; white varieties only for the white wines, and all varieties for the rosés. Fractions of must obtained by inadequate pressure may not, in any event, be used in the production of protected wines.

* The actual volatile acidity of crianza wines must not exceed 0,80 g/l.

* The maximum sulphur content is 250 mg/l when there is 5 g/l or more of sugar.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 10,5 Minimum total acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 8,3 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 200

Red wine

Produced from the red grape varieties listed in section 6 of this specification. Fractions of must obtained by inadequate pressure may not, in any event, be used in the production of protected wines.

* The actual volatile acidity limit may increase by 0,06 gr/l for each degree of alcohol above 11 % vol. and year of ageing, up to a maximum of 0,9 gr/l.

* The maximum sulphur content is 200 mg/l when there is 5 g/l or more of sugar.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,5 Minimum total acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 11,7 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 150

Liqueur wine

Rancio: made from the Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo or Garnacha Negra varieties, produced from white wines with a minimum sugar content of 14 °Bx using oxidative ageing in oak containers. The ‘sol y serena’ method (where the wine is exposed to the sun during the day and the cooler temperatures at night) is used for oxidative ageing and the wine is kept in oak barrels for at least one year.

Mistelle: made from all white grape varieties. It is produced by separating the free-run must and then immediately filtering the wine. Vinous alcohol is then added and it is stirred.

Natural sweet wine: made from must with a high sugar content – more than 250 g/l – and partially fermented.

* The maximum sulphur content is 200 mg/l when there is 5 g/l or more of sugar.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 15 Minimum total acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 150

Quality sparkling wine

Produced from authorised varieties, made according to the traditional method with secondary fermentation in the bottle, minimum excess pressure of 3,5 bars and a nine-month ageing period from the date of tirage until it is disgorged.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 10,8 Minimum total acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Semi-sparkling wine

Produced from all the red and white varieties. Part of the carbonation from the wine’s own fermentation is kept during the production process.

* The maximum sulphur content is 250 mg/l when the white or rosé wine has 5 g/l or more of sugar. In the case of red wine, the limits are 150 and 200 respectively.

* Excess pressure at 20 °C due to dissolved endogenous carbon dioxide of between 1 and 2,5 bars.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 10,5 Minimum total acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 200

5. Wine-making practices

a. Essential oenological practices

Cultivation method

The vine must be trained as follows so as to ensure the best quality and aromatic richness of the wines:

a) Traditionally using goblet training with vines with two buds and one blind bud.

b) Trellis training with division of the vegetation.

Irrigation must be authorised and it may only be carried out to improve the quality of the grape, its alcoholic strength, and its acidity. The vine plots may be re-balanced for reasons of moisture, depending both on the water conditions of the soil and the ecological conditions of the vine.

Essential oenological practice

The grapes must be harvested with great care, and only healthy grapes that are ripe enough to yield wines with a minimum natural alcoholic strength equal to or greater than 9,5 % vol. may be used to produce wines covered by the PDO. The harvested grapes must be transported as quickly as possible, using methods that guarantee that their quality is preserved.

b. Maximum yields

White grape varieties

12 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

White grape varieties

78 hectolitres per hectare

Red grape varieties

10 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

Red grape varieties

60 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

— Alella

— Arenys de Mar

— Arenys de Munt

— Argentona

— Badalona

— Cabrera de Mar

— Cabrils

— Calella

— El Masnou

— Granollers

— La Roca del Vallès

— Llinars del Vallès

— Montgat

— Montornès del Vallès

— Martorelles

— Mataró

— Òrrius

— Premià de Dalt

— Premià de Mar

— Sant Cebrià de Vallalta

— Sant Fost de Campsentelles

— Sant Iscle de Villalta

— Sant Pol de Mar

— Santa Coloma de Gramenet

— Santa Maria de Martorelles

— Teià

— Tiana

— Vilanova del Vallès

— Vilassar de Dalt

— Vilassar de Mar

— Vallromanes

7. Main wine grapes variety(ies)

GARNACHA TINTA

SYRAH

XARELLO – PANSA BLANCA

8. Description of the link(s)

‘Wine’

The local soil type is a granite subsoil with traces from the sea. The surface layer is formed by small grains. The soil drains well and this means the vines have to put down deep roots to find water and the various nutrients that the local soil provides. In fact this circumstance causes it slight ‘stress’, which, when well-controlled, helps to regulate the production of grapes per vine. The slight difference in taste between the wines produced on the coast and those produced inland is that the latter are more acidic.

‘Liqueur wine’

The oxidative ageing in producing these wines is what makes the PDO so distinctive as the ‘sol y serena’ process brings out the mineral/sea residues..

‘Quality sparkling wine’

The characteristic feature of these wines is that they are produced using grape varieties that are native to the area and also more classic varieties. The DNA of our PDO is the local soil, which gives our wines a mineral content that is not found in the ‘Cava’ PDO (the comparison is valid as sparkling wines are produced there using the same vine varieties as the ‘Alella’ PDO). When tasting quality sparkling white wines from these two areas, ‘Alella’ PDO can be identified most of all by its elegant bitter/citrus finish reminiscent of green almonds. The common denominator is the mineral content, irrespective of the production method.

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

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

The bottling of wines covered by the ‘Alella’ PDO should be carried out in registered bottling cellars in order to facilitate traceability and preserve the quality of the end product.

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The labels must bear a guarantee seal.

The height of the characters used to indicate ‘Alella’ must not exceed 4 mm, and half that for ‘Denominación de Origen’.

For designations of wines with the name of the wine-grower or the estate, the wine must come from vines grown by the same wine-grower or registered to the estate, and be made solely and exclusively from the wine-grower’s crops and on the estate respectively.

Link to the product specification

http://ves.cat/eqCL

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