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 374/10)

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

COMMUNICATION OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Bandol’

PDO-FR-A0485-AM01

Date of communication: 7 July 2022

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Geographical area

The specification for the designation ‘Bandol’ has been amended in Chapter I, Section IV(2) [sic], ‘Areas and places in which the various operations are conducted’, point (1) ‘Geographical area’ in order to include the reference to the 2020 Official Geographical Code, which recognises and lists the municipalities by department at national level. This editorial amendment allows the geographical area to be identified with reference to the 2020 version of the Official Geographical Code, which is updated by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), and gives the definition of the geographical area legal certainty.

‘(1) — Geographical area All stages of production, from the grape harvest, wine-making, conditioning and maturing, take place in the geographical area, in the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Var, based on the 2020 Official Geographical Code: Bandol, Le Beausset, La Cadière-d’Azur, Le Castellet, Evenos, Ollioules, Sanary-sur-Mer and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.’

In the single document, this amendment appears under ‘Demarcated geographical area’.

2. Demarcated parcel area

The specification for the designation ‘Bandol’ has been amended in Chapter I, Section IV(2), ‘Areas and places in which the various operations are conducted’, point (2) ‘Demarcated parcel area’, in order to add dates of approval by the national authority for parcels suitable for producing grapes of the designation.

This addition does not affect the single document.

3. Vine training – Irrigation

Chapter I of the specification for the designation ‘Bandol’ has been extended at Section VI, ‘Vine training’, with the addition of a third point authorising irrigation.

Use of irrigation has been added to the single document under ‘Wine-making practices’.

4. Date for circulation of wines between authorised warehouses

The specification has been amended at Chapter I, Section IX, ‘Processing, conditioning, maturation, packaging, storage’, at (5)(b) to delete dates establishing the period during which the wines cannot circulate between merchants and traders before being made available for consumption. The purpose is to allow the wines to circulate between all operators and to remove any risk of unfair competition.

This deletion does not affect the single document.

5. Transitional measures

The specification for the ‘Bandol’ designation has been amended at Chapter I, Section XI, ‘Transitional measures’, in order to delete (1) and (3) on the transitional measures that are no longer applicable. Point (1) established the proportions of the different grape varieties: Mourvèdre up until the 2014 harvest, and Clairette and Sauvignon until the 2011 harvest.

This provision does not affect the single document.

Point (3) established 1 January 2013 as the date of entry into force of the prohibition on the use of pump-crushers. Removal of this date does not affect the single document since this prohibition appears in the single document under ‘Specific oenological practices’.

6. Main points to be checked

The table in Chapter III of the specification has been updated to include the points of the specification to be checked.

This update does not affect the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Bandol

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

1. Analytical description of the products

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Wines of the designation ‘Bandol’ are still wines that are red, rosé or white.

The white and rosé wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 11,5 %.

The red wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 12 %.

At the time of packaging, the red wines have a maximum malic acid content of 0,4 grams per litre.

After fermentation, the wines have a maximum content of fermentable sugars (glucose and fructose) as follows:

— white and rosé wines – 3 grams per litre

— red wines with a maximum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 14 % – 3 grams per litre

— red wines with natural alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 14 % – 4 grams per litre.

The wines comply with the analytical criteria established in European legislation.

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

2. Organoleptic description of the products

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

The red wines require maturation. They are low-yield products from vines over 7 years old. The wines begin developing during the 18 months spent in wooden barrels, usually the large oval-shaped foudres. Mourvèdre N must represent at least 50 % of the blend of grape varieties used. It gives the wines their characteristics: they are powerful, full-bodied, tannic and can keep for a long time.

The rosé wines are increasingly prominent. They are made by direct pressing, short maceration or the saignée method, and are rose-pink in colour. Mourvèdre N must represent at least 20 % of the grapes used, the figure is often between 30 % and 40 %. This variety gives the wines a specific structure. More tannic than other rosé wines of Provence, they need a little more time to develop but can be kept for longer.

The white wines are principally made from Clairette B: at least 50 % of grapes used. The wines are light straw-yellow in colour with floral aromas. Production is more restricted than is the case for red and rosé wines. Nevertheless, they add to the image and balance of the controlled designation of origin.

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

5. Wine-making practices

5.1. Specific oenological practices

1.

Cultivation method

— The minimum vine planting density is 5 000 plants per hectare. The spacing between the vine rows must not exceed 2,50 metres.

— The area available for each plant must not exceed 2,5 square metres. This surface area is obtained by multiplying the spacing between the rows by the spacing between the plants.

— However, vines planted on terraces are permitted a maximum spacing of 2,5 metres between the top of each terraced bank (or wall), and the first row of plants on the terrace above, and the same between the foot of the bank and first row on the terrace below.

— The vines are spur pruned (using the gobelet or cordon de Royat method), with a maximum of 8 buds per plant. Each spur has a maximum of two buds.

— Vines more than 30 years old can be pruned with a maximum of 12 buds per plant.

— Pruning takes place before 1 May.

— The wines are made from grapes harvested manually. The grape bunches are transported to the winery intact.

— Irrigation: In accordance with Article D. 645-5 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, irrigation during the vine growing season is permitted only if persistent drought disrupts the proper physiological development of the vines and ripening of the grapes.

2.

Specific oenological practice

— Any heat treatment of the grape harvest at a temperature above 40 °C is prohibited.

— The use of wood chips is prohibited.

— For making rosé wines, use of oenological charcoal is permitted for the musts and new press wines still in fermentation within a limit of 10 % of the volume of rosé wines made by a given wine-grower for a specific harvest, at a maximum amount of 60 grams per hectolitre.

— Enrichment is entirely prohibited.

— Use of continuous fermentation tanks, continuous presses, centrifugal destemmers, screw-type separators of less than 750 millimetres in diameter, and piston-driven pump-crushers is prohibited. The wine-making practices followed must comply with EU rules and the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, as well as with the above provisions.

5.2. Maximum yields

1. 40 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

All stages of production, from the grape harvest, wine-making, conditioning and maturing, take place in the geographical area, in the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Var, based on the 2020 Official Geographical Code: Bandol, Le Beausset, La Cadière-d’Azur, Le Castellet, Evenos, Ollioules, Sanary-sur-Mer and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.

7. Wine grape variety(-ies)

Bourboulenc B – Doucillon blanc

Carignan N

Cinsaut N – Cinsault

Clairette B

Grenache N

Marsanne B

Mourvèdre N – Monastrell

Sauvignon B – Sauvignon blanc

Semillon B

Syrah N – Shiraz

Ugni Blanc B

Vermentino B – Rolle

8. Description of the link(s)

8.1. Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

The geographical area is demarcated around eight municipalities in the department of Var. It lies at the heart of a huge natural amphitheatre hollowed out by erosion and tectonic activity that affected the sediment, carbonate and reef formations, bringing them to the surface. In this way, a hilly landscape was formed, closed to the north and open to the Mediterranean Sea through the Gulf of Bandol.

This topography creates a particular Mediterranean climate protected from the Mistral, the cold north wind that is prevalent in Provence. Formed from arrangements of hills and foothills, the area receives an annual average of 3 000 hours of sunshine and 650 millimetres of rainfall. The already favourable climate is complemented by the moderating effect of being open to the Mediterranean, which tempers the hot summer sun and maintains a gentle humidity at night. This creates excellent ripening conditions for the grapes, especially Mourvèdre N. As a result, it is possible to produce red wines suitable for long keeping and maturation in wooden barrels, as well as characteristic rosé wines. At the same time, the conditions are also excellent for the grape variety Clairette B, making it possible to produce fine, structured white wines.

The most characteristic soils are rather shallow, whitish, poor in organic matter, sometimes rich in siliceous elements, always very stony and well drained, thus allowing excellent water circulation.

The landscape has been especially shaped by the cultivation of vines and olive trees, the result of perseverance on the part of generations of farmers. Down the centuries, they have known how best to plant on slopes and hills while maintaining a protective vegetative cover on the heights. In order to contain the soil and clear the land of stones, they have built innumerable dry-stone walls, known as ‘restanques’, thereby creating this characteristic landscape.

8.2. Description of the human factors relevant to the link

In the fourth century BCE, the Phocaeans disembarked on the sheltered shores of what was to become their colony of ‘Terroeis’. In their amphorae, they brought with them the civilisation of vine and wine. Under the Roman Empire, ‘Terroeis’ would become ‘Torrentum’, between the municipalities of Saint-Cyr and Bandol. A number of wine-growing estates today hold remains of ancient Roman villas, with a wealth of archaeological evidence of organised viticultural activity: clay ovens for amphorae, wine-presses etc.

Numerous written sources attest to the continued existence of vine-growing, and the fame of the wines produced. These range from the orders of 1363 governing the circulation of grapes and wine, to the exemptions to restrictions on planting which were issued in 1731 in view of the nature of the terrain and the quality of the wines produced. There is further evidence in the form of architecture and place names, such as Le Vigneret or La Mourvèdriére.

As an example, in his 1827 treatise Œnologie de la Basse Provence, Tolozan made the connection between landscape and vine-growing: ‘The wine region of Bandol begins at the foot of the Cuges mountains and stretches south, ending in the Gulf of Bandol, some 12 kilometres in length. This valley is formed by a double row of hills that branch off to the west and enclose the great plain of Saint-Cyr, which slopes gently down to the shore of the Gulf of Lecques. […] The slopes and the hills themselves are planted with vines.’ As proof of the cohesion of the sector, the author adds ‘The type of grape that dominates throughout, and is the essence of the wines of Bandol, is Mourvèdre, a very dark red grape.’

History has shown that these wines were known as wines for keeping, improving over time, especially during long sea crossings. Indeed, given the advantage of the sheltered bay of Bandol, wines produced within the geographical area were largely transported by boats, which remained anchored off the coast. The wine barrels loaded on board were branded with the letter ‘B’.

In a work of 1787 on the geography of Provence and ‘the Comté Venaissin, principality of Orange and Comté of Nice’ (Volume I, page 280), it says:

‘The soil of Bandol is very dry and stony. The principle product of the area is the red wine of the highest quality, highly prized for the Antilles. The port of Bandol is surely the safest and most convenient of the province.’

As the port of embarkation and a trading outlet for the wines of Bandol, the city itself was home to coopers. A resolution of the Municipal Council dated 1818 confirms that over 6 000 hectolitres of wine passed through the port of Bandol on its way to Italy, northern Europe and America. By the end of the Second Empire, no fewer than 80 000 barrels were produced annually in Bandol for storing and transporting some 160 000 hectolitres.

Therefore, in addition to the producers themselves, history shows that a human community built their lives around the production of wines.

The local vineyards did not escape the phylloxera crisis. However, their history, their fame and this strong community made a rapid recovery possible. In this way, they continued the ancient customs of planting on terraces, with appropriate training methods and planting density. The usual varieties continued to be used, with Mourvèdre N dominating, following by Grenache N and Cinsaut N in particular for red and rosé wines, and Clairette B, Bourboulenc B and Ugni Blanc B for white wines.

This community has thus preserved its history, strengthened its know-how and enhanced the reputation and quality of the wines of Bandol, recognised as a controlled designation of origin since 11 November 1941.

In 2009, the vineyards of Bandol covered 1 580 hectares, giving an average annual production of 50 000 hectolitres, distributed across 3 cellar cooperatives and 54 estates. The red wines require maturation. They are low-yield products, 40 hectolitres per hectare maximum, from vines over 7 years old. The wines begin developing during the 18 months spent in wooden barrels, usually the large oval-shaped foudres. Mourvèdre N must represent at least 50 % of the blend of grape varieties used. It gives the wines their characteristics: they are powerful, full-bodied, tannic and can keep for a long time.

8.3. Causal interactions

The climate is Mediterranean with maritime influences. The topography forms a natural amphitheatre open to the sea, which offers protection from the influences of wind and temperature coming from the north. The soil is clay and limestone, and very stony. All of these factors combine in the geographical area to produce a terrain and climate that confers excellent conditions on the vineyards of ‘Bandol’. Here, the grape variety Mourvèdre N finds its ecological niche par excellence, allowing it to achieve the perfect ripeness that ensures the originality and balance of the wines.

In 1787, this particular link between the natural environment and the characteristics and quality of the wines produced had already been noted.

‘The especially mild and sheltered climate of Bandol and its immediately surrounding area; a sub-soil of clay and limestone with a good dose of calcium carbonate; the intense reflection of the sun’s rays on the slopes, which are sheltered from harsh winter frosts by their immediate proximity to the sea; the tiny droplets of sea-water enriched with salt and iodine in the air of this especially blessed region: these contribute to making the wines of this area into renowned products that the bards of Provence used to say were sunshine in a bottle.’

(La Géographie de la Provence et du Comtat Venaissin, Achard M., 1787, quoted by J.M. Marchandiau in ‘Gens et Vins du Bandol’ — 1991.)

Reflecting established practice, the demarcated parcel area includes ‘the typical poor soils which have long established the reputation of the wines of Bandol’, while excluding ‘fertile and alluvial soils of the valleys, the overly-fertile alluvium at the foot of the hills, the pine plantations and the wooded areas’.

This demarcation allows for the vines to be managed most effectively. Vine vigour and potential production are controlled by the practice of maintaining low yields from spur pruning, and by managing planting densities adapted to the traditional terraces (restanques).

The tradition of harvesting grapes by hand, still upheld by ‘Bandol’ winegrowers today, helps preserve the originality and characteristics of these vineyards with their restanques.

As a result of production expertise, optimal ripeness conditions and the historical need for suitability for transport, the red wines of ‘Bandol’ have a structure that allows them to mature in wooden barrels for a long time, thus demonstrating their very considerable capacity for ageing.

The excellent conditions of this huge natural amphitheatre dedicated to wine-growing allowed the know-how to develop among the community of producers and consumers. It was therefore natural to see this know-how applied for the production and appreciation of rosé and white wines. While historically these were less important than the red wines, they are enjoying a growing reputation.

The production practices for the red wines, using Mourvèdre N grapes from vines at least 8 years old, mean that this variety can be used to produce rosé wines. The addition of Mourvèdre N gives the rosé wines a significant part of their identity.

This rigour and the technical procedure required for producing red wines are obviously also applied to the white grape varieties. This is what gives the white ‘Bandol’ wines a structure and balance that also enables them to age in a way that is characteristic in Provence.

In 2010, the reputation of Bandol was undeniable for all the products: the rosé and white wines having by then achieved the status of the red wines. As a significant part of its sales are outside of France, and for export, this controlled designation of origin allows its products to be widely appreciated.

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

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

Wines eligible for the controlled designation of origin may specify a smaller geographical unit on their labels, provided that it is a place name listed in the land register and that it appears on the harvest declaration.

The place name as listed in the land register appears immediately after the name of the holding or the trade mark.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-b6ff2938-f986-4dc0-bc3f-de1aefad4c1a

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