Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2021/C 170/11)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within 3 months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’

EU No: PGI-FR-02447 – 3 January 2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Product type

Class 1.8. Other products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (spices etc.)

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Vanille de l’île de la Réunion’ refers to the whole, processed pods, complete with their seeds, of the species Vanilla fragrans (Salisbury) Ames, syn. Vanilla planifolia Andrews, of a minimum length of 14 cm. At least 80 % of the length of the pods must be free of any surface marks or blemishes.

‘Vanille de l’île de la Réunion’ is sold exclusively in three different forms:

— ‘Dried’ vanilla pods Whole pods only, possibly split up to a maximum length of 3 cm. The pods have a glossy sheen and are uniform in colour, which ranges from brown to dark chocolate brown. They are flexible in texture. Dried vanilla pods are malleable and can bend without breaking. Their moisture content varies between 25 % and 42 % when put on the market and their vanillin content, based on dry matter, is at least 1,8 %.

— ‘Fresh’ vanilla pods Whole pods only, possibly split up to a maximum length of 6 cm. Fresh vanilla pods are fleshy, glossy and uniform reddish brown in colour. The pods are stiff to the touch and cannot be bent. Their moisture content varies between 60 % and 80 % when put on the market and their vanillin content, based on dry matter, is at least 2 %.

— ‘Crystallised’ vanilla Whole dried or fresh vanilla pods naturally form crystals during the ageing process, designed to bring out the aromas, through the development of vanillin crystals on their surface, which can have a variety of forms: multi-faceted crystals, shaped like stars, needles or grains of granulated sugar. They are split at most over half their length. Their moisture content varies between 25 % and 42 % for dried crystallised vanilla pods and between 60 % and 80 % for fresh crystallised vanilla pods when put on the market. Their vanillin content, based on dry matter, is at least 1,8 % for dried crystallised vanilla pods and 2 % for fresh crystallised vanilla pods.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The following operations must take place in the geographical area:

— growing the green vanilla (cultivation, harvesting),

— processing (‘killing’, or mortification, steaming, drying, ageing, sorting).

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product to which the registered name refers

Before they are put on the market, the dried, fresh and crystallised vanilla pods are packed in different types of tamper-proof, airtight sealed packaging to limit the loss of aromas and excessive drying-out.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product to which the registered name refers

The labelling shall include the name ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’ and the European Union PGI symbol in the same visual field.

The labelling must include the words ‘fresh vanilla’ where applicable, supplemented by the word ‘crystallised’ where appropriate.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area of ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’ is demarcated according to climatic and historical criteria.

This geographical area is located in the municipalities to the East of the island of La Réunion: Bras-Panon, Saint-André, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Philippe, Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Rose and Sainte-Suzanne.

The maximum altitude within this area is set at 700 metres in the above-mentioned municipalities.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link between ‘Vanille de l’île de la Réunion’ and the geographical area is based on the vanilla’s quality, which it owes to natural factors and the producers’ expertise, as well as on its reputation.

In general, the climate of the island of La Réunion is characterised by its mild temperatures. The island’s geographical position, close to the Tropic of Capricorn, and especially the mitigating role of the ocean and trade winds are the main reasons for this mildness.

In the eastern part of the island, known as the ‘windy coast’, rainfall is higher, with more than 3 000 mm of rainfall on average per year in the area suitable for farming. The weather conditions are therefore both mild and humid up to 700 m altitude, and form an ideal habitat for the cultivation and development of the vanilla orchid. ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’ owes its characteristics to these particular climatic conditions, both at the cultivation stage, as they promote the pod’s concentration of the aromatic compound precursors (including glucovanillin, the precursor of vanillin), and during the processing phase, by encouraging the continuation of the enzymatic activity required for the formation of the aromatic bouquet, and also by enabling the slow drying of the vanilla pod, such that it develops the full aromatic potential of ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’, and finally by making it possible to produce, with regard to the dry vanilla pods, a product that is supple and malleable.

The producers’ expertise also plays an important role in the characteristics of ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’.

The island of La Réunion is where expertise in vanilla production originated. It was on La Réunion that the fertilisation process was discovered and the processing of the vanilla by mortification, or ‘killing’, and steaming was perfected. Although these processes are now widely known and practised, the expertise developed by the island’s producers is the guarantee of the quality of the final product. Tying the vines, more commonly known as ‘banding the vines’, allows the plant to rebuild roots and have flowers within reach so they can then be fertilised by hand. Limiting the number of flowers or pods per stem (manual thinning) encourages the formation of good-sized pods. The processing stage is designed to bring out the full taste of ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’. For example, drying in the sun and then in the shade for at least 20 days and ageing in closed wooden boxes for at least 7 months is a guarantee of quality. These two steps avoid any tastes of creosote or tar that may be detected in other vanilla that has been dried too quickly and matured in vacuum bags (anaerobic fermentation). It is during the ageing stage that crystallisation may appear on the dried or fresh vanilla pods. Finally, sorting throughout the process makes it possible to obtain high-quality pods, with regard to both their health (pods with defects are removed) and the homogeneity of the batch (homogeneous drying).

The importance of vanilla to the island’s economy was such that a vanilla vine featured prominently on the La Réunion coat of arms, designed by Governor Merwart in 1925. This crest includes the motto of the East India Company: ‘florebo quocumque ferar’ (I will flower wherever I am planted).

Thanks to its quality, ‘Vanille de l’île de La Réunion’ enjoys a reputation, based primarily on its unique aromatic signature, which is the result of the plant’s perfect acclimatisation to the volcanic slopes on the East of the island and the expertise developed by the island’s producers.

‘Vanille de l’île de la Réunion’ is a vanilla pod that is chocolate brown in colour and greatly prized by major chefs and renowned pastry chefs. For about 20 years it has also come in the form of fresh vanilla with a higher moisture content. This delicate product, which has an extremely sweet taste, has thus gained popularity thanks to major Michelin-starred French chefs such as Alain Passard, Guy Martin, Pierre Hermé and Jacques Genin, who appreciate it for its high quality, whether the pods are dry or fresh. Olivier Roellinger, a major chef of great repute who is passionate about spices, recommends this vanilla. In his view, this vanilla is: ‘Indisputably the best, its scent is fine and sweet (...). Vanilla from the Île de La Réunion is characterised by its fineness and sweetness. Both its cultivation and its processing have been perfected in the French department of La Réunion. Visually, it is often the most beautiful and has been tended to with the most care. ’

Crystallised vanilla is an outstanding product. The pod’s high vanillin content causes it to crystallise on the surface, resulting in delicate, frost-like efflorescences. This is the vanilla with the most intense and subtle scent, making it a product that is highly appreciated by gourmets and top chefs alike.

Numerous articles and broadcasts pay tribute to its exceptional qualities. The TV 5 Monde programme ‘Epicerie Fine’ [Delicatessen] hosted by Guy Martin, the head chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant, recently featured ‘Vanille de l’île de la Réunion’. In that programme, Guy Martin sings the praises of this product together with famous cooks and patisserie and delicatessen chefs.

A visit to a vanilla processing plant is an unmissable tourist attraction on the island of La Réunion. Many processors organise tourist visits to their plants and shops to sell their products.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of the Regulation)

https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDC-VanilleidlReunion.pdf

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.