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 251/11)

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

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

‘NIZZA’

PDO-IT-01896-AM01

Date of communication: 30 April 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Wine-growing rules - Position and exposure of vineyards

Description: The conditions concerning the position and exposure of vineyards have been amended to include vineyards that do not have an exclusively south/south-east/south-west exposure, meaning that vineyards within the range of + 45° to + 315°, are permitted, as are the tops of hills and northern slopes between - 45° and + 45° where the terrain does not have a slope of more than 8 %.

Reason: Their exclusively hilly exposures mean that also vineyards facing the above-mentioned directions benefit from an optimal absorption of sunlight, allowing good ripening and quality of grapes, and concentration of sugars and polyphenols.

The amendment was requested because climate change has created new conditions, thus significantly changing the wine-growing situation and meaning that the optimal conditions for producing wine with the quality characteristics required for the designation have been re-created and can be found elsewhere in the environment. The vine growing period is not the calendar year but, essentially, the months from May to September. The warming of the climate has led, on average, to an earlier harvest than in the past. In addition, it must be considered that the incidence of sunlight on a north-facing slope varies in a way that is not linear but is more than proportional to the duration of the day, as not only the hours of light change, but also the height of the sun above the horizon and hence the angle of incidence. These are concepts that have already been discussed by major climate scientists and are now applicable in the context of wine-making. Therefore, particularly on the Italian peninsula, the increased amount of sunlight even in the upper part, towards the northern point on the compass, leads to excellent ripening of the grapes, in terms of both sugar and polyphenolic content, and good wine yields in terms of quality.

The amendment concerns Article 4(2) ‘Wine-growing rules - Position and exposure of vineyards’ of the product specification, sub-sections (A) and (B) of Article 9 ‘Link with the environment’ of the product specification and sub-sections (B) and (C) of section 1.8 ‘Link with the environment’ of the single document.

2. Wine-growing rules - Grape harvest

The obligation to harvest the grapes exclusively by hand has been removed. Removing the obligation to harvest by hand will allow producers to adopt the most suitable methods for harvesting the grapes to be used in the production of the wines under the PDO based on their own particular needs, while retaining the traditional practice of harvesting by hand in the Nizza production area. The possibility of also using harvesting machines meets the particular needs of producers in terms of speeding up the harvesting of the grapes, making up for any staff shortages, reducing land management costs and benefitting from the technological innovation linked to the mechanisation of wine-growing. This has been greatly enhanced thanks to the possibility of mechanical harvesting, using self-propelled or towed machines, with horizontal shaking. These are particularly efficient where vine training methods involving a vertical trellis are used, such as Guyot or spurred cordon, which are typical of the production area. These machines allow operations to be carried out also in the hills and they ensure that the grapes harvested are of high quality.

The amendment concerns Article 4(2) ‘Wine-growing rules’ of the product specification and sub-section (C) of section 1.8 ‘Link with the environment’ of the single document.

3. Labelling requirements

The name of the larger geographical unit ‘Piemonte’ [Piedmont] may be used in the labelling and presentation of Nizza PDO wines.

Reason: The aim is to provide consumers with additional information on the geographical location of the demarcated area, so that they can more easily identify the broader geographical, environmental, historical and administrative context of the Piedmont region, in which the production area for Nizza PDO wines is situated.

The amendment concerns Article 7(4) of the product specification and the section ‘Further conditions - Additional provisions relating to labelling’ of the single document.

4. Amendments of a clerical nature

— The contact details in the other information section of the single document have been updated; this concerns points 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.5.

— References to specific laws and decrees have been deleted from the product specification and a general reference had been made to the relevant legislation in force.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

Nizza

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s):

1. Nizza and Nizza Riserva (Category: Wine (1))

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Colour: intense ruby red, tending towards garnet with age;

Aroma: intense, distinctive, ethereal;

Taste: dry, full-bodied, harmonious and round.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 13 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 26 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):

—

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):

—

Minimum total acidity:

5,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):

—

Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):

—

2. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication and Nizza Riserva with the ‘Vigna’ indication (Category: Wine (1))

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

Colour: intense ruby red, tending towards garnet with age;

Aroma: intense, distinctive, ethereal;

Taste: dry, full-bodied, harmonious and round.

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 13,50 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 28 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):

—

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):

—

Minimum total acidity:

5,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

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. Ageing

Specific oenological practice

Nizza: must be aged for at least 18 months, of which at least 6 months in wooden barrels from 1 January of the year following the harvest.

Nizza ‘Vigna’: must be aged for at least 18 months, of which at least 6 months in wooden barrels from 1 January of the year following the harvest.

Nizza Riserva: must be aged for at least 30 months, of which at least 12 months in wooden barrels from 1 January of the year following the harvest.

Nizza Riserva ‘Vigna’: must be aged for at least 30 months, of which at least 12 months in wooden barrels from 1 January of the year following the harvest.

2. Topping up of barrels

Specific oenological practice

Throughout the mandatory ageing period, barrels may be topped up with the same wine of the same vintage, which may be stored in containers other than wooden barrels, accounting for up to 10% of the total volume.

3. Enrichment

Relevant restriction on making the wines

There is no provision for any form of enrichment to increase the alcoholic strength of Nizza DOCG wines.

5.2. Maximum yields

1. Nizza and Nizza Riserva

49 hectolitres per hectare

2. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication in the third year after planting

26,60 hectolitres per hectare

3. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication in the fourth year after planting

30,80 hectolitres per hectare

4. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication in the fifth year after planting

35 hectolitres per hectare

5. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication in the sixth year after planting

39,90 hectolitres per hectare

6. Nizza with the ‘Vigna’ indication from the seventh year after planting onwards

44,10 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The production area for ‘Nizza’ DOCG includes all of the territory of the following municipalities: Agliano Terme, Belveglio, Calamandrana, Castel Boglione, Castelnuovo Belbo, Castelnuovo Calcea, Castel Rocchero, Cortiglione, Incisa Scapaccino, Mombaruzzo, Mombercelli, Nizza Monferrato, Vaglio Serra, Vinchio, Bruno, Rocchetta Palafea, Moasca and San Marzano Oliveto.

7. Main wine grape variety(ies)

Barbera N.

8. Description of the link(s)

PDO Nizza (Category: Wine (1))

Natural factors relevant to the link

The production area comprises 18 municipalities in the Province of Asti adjacent to the municipality of Nizza, which has traditionally been an area of choice for the cultivation of the Barbera vine variety.

It is an area of low hills with an altitude of between 150 and 400 metres, characterised by a temperate climate with little wind and average annual rainfall of around 700 mm. The soil is mainly calcareous, of medium depth and resting on a marly calcareous-arenaceous rock groundmass. The terrain of the ‘Nizza’ wine-growing area is geologically part of the Pliocene basin in the province of Asti; it is mostly sedimentary in origin, with predominantly tertiary arenaceous marl formations. The soils have a high calcium carbonate content, with generally little organic matter, and low but perfectly balanced nutrient levels.

PDO Nizza

Human factors relevant to the link

The perfect synergy between the environment and humans in the Nizza area is summed up in how the vines are trained using the traditional ‘contour’ system, with vertical trellises and Guyot and sometimes spurred cordon pruning systems, in how yields are kept low, and in the rational management of foliage, which, together with the south-facing exposure, allow the quality of the Barbera grape to be best expressed. The vineyard landscape of the ‘Nizza’ winegrowing area is the exceptional result of a wine-making tradition which has evolved and been handed down since antiquity, underpinning the local community and economy.

This cultural tradition has produced a well-established heritage of expertise and vine growing, wine-making and ageing techniques based on a thorough knowledge of the Barbera variety historically grown in the area and its ability to adapt to the particular environmental conditions.

PDO Nizza

B) Details of the quality or characteristics of the product essentially or exclusively attributable to the geographical environment PDO Nizza is the most valuable wine produced in the area. The final product is distinguished by the characteristics of the soils in the production area. In particular, the Nizza wines from areas consisting mainly of clay-sandy marl soils have greater intensity and shades of colour, a medium-high pH and lower acidity, and very intense ‘earthy’ aromas (‘tuf’ is the name of the marl in the local dialect). They are elegant, highly-structured and long-lived. Those from areas with predominantly sandy soils have a more pronounced acidity, lower colour intensity and a variety of fine and elegant aromas with scents that are more balsamic, of aromatic grasses, coupled with a harmonious structure. Optimal sun exposure and soil and climate conditions make for well-structured wines which are rich in colour and suitable for ageing, and which keep well over time. The vineyards are located exclusively on hills and they have the best exposures for absorbing sunlight; this benefits the ripening and quality of grapes, increasing the concentration of sugars and polyphenols.

PDO Nizza

C) Description of the causal interaction between the aspects referred to under (A) and those referred to under (B). ‘Nizza’ wines owe their specific quality characteristics to the interaction between the natural environment and the human factors of tradition and knowledge in cultivation, wine-making and ageing. In particular, producers have made highly quality-focused choices for the cultivation of grapes (limited yields, in particular for types bearing the ‘Vigna’ indication) and the production of ‘Nizza’ DOCG wines by refraining from the practice of enrichment. The wine-growing knowledge dating back to antiquity with the cultivation of the vines in the ‘contour’ system, with vertical trellises expertly managed through the traditional Guyot pruning system and with adequate thinning of the bunches, gives Nizza vineyards very low yields, of a maximum of 7 tonnes or less. These factors, combined with fairly high daily temperature ranges, allow for optimal ripening of the grapes, which gives Nizza its typical organoleptic characteristics. The utmost care is taken in the harvesting of grapes. This is done either by hand in the traditional way or using modern harvesting machinery, which allow operations to be carried out also in the hills, and it ensures that the grapes harvested are of high quality so as to preserve their quality characteristics as much as possible. The wine-making technique has been perfected for this excellent raw material. It is followed by an appropriate minimum ageing period of 18 months, up to over 30 months for the Nizza Riserva. The Nizza area is a historic centre for the production of Barbera wines in Piedmont, with an impressive tradition of processing, ageing and marketing the final product, a precondition for the production and subsequent establishment on the market of structured red wines for medium to long ageing.

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

Bottling within the demarcated area

Legal framework:

EU legislation

Type of further condition:

Bottling within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

In accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 607/2009, bottling or packaging must take place in the demarcated geographical area to safeguard quality, guarantee the origin and ensure the effectiveness of checks.

The link to the geographical area of origin along with the image of the designation are better guaranteed with bottling in the production area, as the application of and compliance with all the technical rules regarding transport and bottling may be entrusted to firms in the authorised area. This requirement therefore benefits the operators themselves, who are aware of and responsible for the issue of preserving the quality of the designation, giving consumers assurance regarding the origin and quality of the wines and their conformity with the product specification.

Provisions for labelling - Use of the name of the larger geographical unit

Legal framework:

EU legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The name of the larger geographical unit ‘Piemonte’ [Piedmont] may be used in the labelling and presentation of Nizza PDO wines.

Link to the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/16848

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