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 467/10)

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

COMMUNICATION OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT MODIFYING THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Uhlen Laubach’

PDO-DE-02082-AM02

Date of communication: 16 September 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

Description of the wine/grapevine product

Annex VII, Part II, point 1(c), second indent, of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 was amended by Regulation (EU) 2017/2393 . The rule that the upper limit for the total alcoholic strength may exceed 15 % volume for wines with a protected designation of origin which have been produced without enrichment, or enriched only by partial concentration processes listed in point 1 of Section B of Part I of Annex VIII, was supplemented by the following: ‘provided that the product specification in the technical file of the protected designation of origin concerned allows for that possibility’. Accordingly, it was necessary to amend the product specification.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Uhlen Laubach

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected designation of origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

5. Quality sparkling wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

1. Quality wine

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

White Riesling wines are matured on the Uhlen Laubach estate. There are three types of grapevine product, each with slightly different properties: quality wine, wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein) and Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions).

Young Uhlen Laubach wines have a pale yellow, occasionally greenish colour which becomes more intense as the product ages before turning a rich, luscious golden colour once the wine has fully matured. The wines’ aromas are defined by the interplay of fruity notes and hints of typical slate minerals. With a lime content of 25 to 45 %, the grey Laubach slate is one of the most calcareous rocks in the Mosel region. This is why the wines that mature here have an aroma that is often reminiscent of cool smoke and hazelnuts, and a generally fuller, soft flavour. Warm and velvety, many of the wines have a fascinating fullness and depth of flavour. The wines are creamy and generally ready to drink after a very short maturation period.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the relevant legislation applies.

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. Wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein), supplemented by: Auslese wine

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

White Riesling wines are matured on the Uhlen Laubach estate. There are three types of grapevine product, each with slightly different properties: quality wine, wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein) and Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions).

Young Uhlen Laubach wines have a pale yellow, occasionally greenish colour which becomes more intense as the product ages before turning a rich, luscious golden colour once the wine has fully matured. The wines’ aromas are defined by the interplay of fruity notes and hints of typical slate minerals. With a lime content of 25 to 45 %, the grey Laubach slate is one of the most calcareous rocks in the Mosel region. This is why the wines that mature here have an aroma that is often reminiscent of cool smoke and hazelnuts, and a generally fuller, soft flavour. Warm and velvety, many of the wines have a fascinating fullness and depth of flavour. The wines are creamy and generally ready to drink after a very short maturation period.

The range of aromas and flavours described above has an underlying sweetness which is delicate in the case of Auslese wines and creamier in Beerenauslese wines and can also contain notes of honey. These aspects of the wines’ flavours are even more pronounced in Trockenbeerenauslese wines. In the case of Eiswein wines, the above-described range of aromas and flavours includes a spicy acidity.

The total alcoholic strength may exceed 15 % by volume.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the relevant legislation applies.

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)

—

3. Wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein), supplemented by: Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

White Riesling wines are matured on the Uhlen Laubach estate. There are three types of grapevine product, each with slightly different properties: quality wine, wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein) and Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions).

Young Uhlen Laubach wines have a pale yellow, occasionally greenish colour which becomes more intense as the product ages before turning a rich, luscious golden colour once the wine has fully matured. The wines’ aromas are defined by the interplay of fruity notes and hints of typical slate minerals. With a lime content of 25 to 45 %, the grey Laubach slate is one of the most calcareous rocks in the Mosel region. This is why the wines that mature here have an aroma that is often reminiscent of cool smoke and hazelnuts, and a generally fuller, soft flavour. Warm and velvety, many of the wines have a fascinating fullness and depth of flavour. The wines are creamy and generally ready to drink after a very short maturation period.

The range of aromas and flavours described above has an underlying sweetness which is delicate in the case of Auslese wines and creamier in Beerenauslese wines and can also contain notes of honey. These aspects of the wines’ flavours are even more pronounced in Trockenbeerenauslese wines. In the case of Eiswein wines, the above-described range of aromas and flavours includes a spicy acidity.

The total alcoholic strength may exceed 15 % by volume.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the relevant legislation applies.

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)

—

4. Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions)

CONCISE TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION

White Riesling wines are matured on the Uhlen Laubach estate. There are three types of grapevine product, each with slightly different properties: quality wine, wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein) and Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions).

Young Uhlen Laubach wines have a pale yellow, occasionally greenish colour which becomes more intense as the product ages before turning a rich, luscious golden colour once the wine has fully matured. The wines’ aromas are defined by the interplay of fruity notes and hints of typical slate minerals. With a lime content of 25 to 45 %, the grey Laubach slate is one of the most calcareous rocks in the Mosel region. This is why the wines that mature here have an aroma that is often reminiscent of cool smoke and hazelnuts, and a generally fuller, soft flavour. Warm and velvety, many of the wines have a fascinating fullness and depth of flavour. The wines are creamy and generally ready to drink after a very short maturation period. In the case of Sekt b.A. wines, the range of aromas and flavours described above for Prädikatswein wines is enhanced and intensified by the carbon dioxide used in the production of sparkling wine.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the relevant legislation applies.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)

13,5

Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)

11,5

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. Relevant restrictions on making the wines

The following are not permitted: potassium sorbate, lysozyme, dimethyl dicarbonate, electrodialysis, dealcoholisation, cation exchangers, concentration (cryoconcentration, osmosis, conical centrifuge column), sweetening, oak chips or preparations.

2. Quality wine

Specific oenological practices

At least 88° Oechsle or maximum acidity content (expressed as tartaric acid) = 7,5 g/l

Up to 100° Oechsle and fortified wines: maximum residual sugar content = ‘semi-dry’ under wine law.

Over 100° Oechsle: maximum residual sugar content = must weight/3

3. Wine with special attributes (Prädikatswein)

Specific oenological practices

Auslese: at least 105° Oechsle; minimum residual sugar content = 90 g/l

Beerenauslese: at least 130° Oechsle; minimum residual sugar content = 150 g/l

Trockenbeerenauslese: at least 180° Oechsle; minimum residual sugar content = 180 g/l

Eiswein: at least 130° Oechsle; minimum residual sugar content = 150 g/l

4. Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from defined regions)

Specific oenological practices

Traditional bottle fermentation

5.2. Maximum yields

70 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

Uhlen Laubach is part of the PDO ‘Mosel’ (registration No PDO-DE-A1270).

The Uhlen Laubach vineyards are located in the Winningen area of the rural district of Mayen-Koblenz in the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate. This part of the Uhlen region has been known in the world of wine and elsewhere for over ten years as ‘Laubach’, a name derived from the exact geological definition of the slate found here. The area begins downstream with parcels 256/112, 2571/118, 2581/119, 2398/0, 2395/3, 2393/0 and ends downstream with parcel 2222/1.

Products bearing the PDO ‘Uhlen Laubach’ may be produced in the ‘Mosel’ registered PDO area (registration No PDO-DE-A1270). The defined area is covered by the PDO ‘Mosel’. The Uhlen Laubach estate covers an area of 13,83 ha.

7. Main wine grape variety(-ies)

Weisser Riesling – Riesling, Riesling renano, Rheinriesling, Klingelberger

8. Description of the link(s)

The Uhlen Laubach vineyards lie within the terraced landscape of the Lower Mosel. The Uhlen Laubach terraces are arranged in a traditional configuration with a south-westerly orientation and are located at an altitude of between about 75 m and 210 m above sea level. At 11,6 °C, the average temperature over the past five years has been relatively high, as would be expected at such a low altitude. The low levels of precipitation (approx. 620 mm) and the high number of hours of sunshine (1 922) produce a microclimate which is quite different from the other ‘Mosel’ PDO areas and is responsible for the particular maturity of the grapes (high potential alcoholic strength with low acidity and mature phenols). The wines are said to be highly expressive and to have a very full flavour. The particular geological conditions of the Uhlen Laubach region help the grapes to achieve physiological maturity and shape the individual flavour of the wines that are grown there. Within the geological time scale, Uhlen Laubach comes under the Devonian system, Lower Devonian series. More specifically, the area consists of sediments from the Oberems/Laubach sub-level and Laubach layer and the Lahnstein sub-level and Hohenrhein layer.

The high lime content of the slate found in the area is indicative of the increasing flattening of the sea floor. No more than 10 to 20 metres deep, the tropical sea originally contained enough oxygen to allow the growth of corals and mussels which are now contained in the slate. The resulting weathered rocky soil is a Regosol made up of various slates, most of them silty. The lime content of the soil is much higher than in the neighbouring PDO areas, meaning that the pH of the soil is also higher (7,5, compared with 6,0 in the neighbouring areas). The individual soil particles are held together for the most part by carbonates. The fact that the soil contains relatively few clay particles but has a high stone content (of over 50 %) means that it is well aerated right down to its lower layers. This, combined with the high lime content and the specific microflora and microfauna, in particular, means that the wines of this region have very different organoleptic properties from those produced in the neighbouring PDO areas. Uhlen Laubach wines often have a slightly smoky scent. Their flavour is usually said to be full, soft, mild and velvety. They are much creamier than the wines of the neighbouring PDO areas. They are generally ready to drink after a very short maturation period. The human influence is based on a wine-growing tradition that goes back thousands of years. The art of planting vineyards on terraces supported by dry stone walls can be traced back to Roman times. In AD 380 the Roman poet Ausonius described such constructions as ‘amphitheatres’. The discovery of Roman coins in the terraces, which were presumably intended as offerings, is further evidence of this practice. Wine has been grown in the area ever since. Over the centuries the quality of production has constantly been improved by developing new varieties of grape (since the early 19th century, the Riesling variety) and new ways of training them (in bushes, on stakes or in wire frames). In recent decades, growing environmental awareness has resulted mainly in less and less use being made of highly soluble mineral fertilisers. The natural microflora and microfauna populations have returned to the soil as a result, causing both nutrient absorption and cation exchange processes to take place increasingly as a result of the incorporation of complex molecules interacting symbiotically with microbes found on the root hairs. These microbes can be used as transmitters between the specific organic substances and minerals contained in the soil, thus making the flavour of the wine even more unique.

The relationship described above applies equally to quality sparkling wine from defined regions.

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:

The information to be provided on the labels and packaging is defined by the laws and regulations in force in the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate. Before the traditional terms associated with this designation of origin may be used on its label, the wine must have passed an official inspection. Only wines which have met the specific requirements of that official inspection are issued with an official inspection number consisting of several digits indicating the inspection authority, the holding number, the number of wines submitted for inspection and the year in which they were submitted or in which the inspection number was issued. The inspection number must be indicated on the label. The traditional terms ‘Qualitätswein’, ‘Prädikatswein’ and ‘Sekt b.A.’ are associated with the designation of origin and may replace the designation ‘PDO’.

Link to the product specification

www.ble.de/eu-qualitaetskennzeichen-wein

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