EN Official Journal of the European Union C 71/25

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2009/C 71/11)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘AMARENE BRUSCHE DI MODENA’

EC No: IT-PGI-005-0714-23.07.2008

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product (Annex II)

Class 1.6 — Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

When released for consumption, ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam has a soft consistency and a characteristic intense red-brown colour with dark tinges. It has a refractive index at 20 °C of between 60° and 68 °Brix. The typical acidity level is between 2,5 and 3,5 pH. The finished product contains 70 % fresh fruit.

The distinctive flavour of ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam is a good balance of sweet and sour, with an acidic tinge. When released for consumption, ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ jam has a minimum sugar content of 60 %.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

The raw material from which ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam is made are sour cherries from orchards growing the varieties Amarena di Castelvetro, Amarena di Vignola dal peduncolo corto (short stalk), Amarena di Vignola dal peduncolo lungo (long stalk), Amarena di Montagna, Amarena di Salvaterra, Marasca di Vigo, Meteor, Mountmorency and Pandy.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The cherries must be grown and the ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ jam produced in the geographical area delineated under point 4, where conditions are favourable to the development of the cherry trees, as explained under point 5.1.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

The jam must also be packaged in the area under point 4 in order that the origin and control of the product can be guaranteed, so that it does not lose the special characteristics described under point 3.2 above and to prevent subsequent pasteurisation, which could affect the typical flavour, based as it is on a good balance between acidity and sweetness.

‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam is put up in jars or tins of 15 ml, 212 ml, 228 ml, 236 ml, 314 ml, 370 ml, 2 650 ml and 5 000 ml. The 2 650 ml and 5 000 ml sizes are for wholesale.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI logo consists of a letter ‘A’ featuring, instead of the cross-line, a picture of a sour cherry with a stalk and a leaf. The device takes up a 74 × 74 mm square. Below it, on three lines, are set out the words AMARENE BRUSCHE DI MODENA I.G.P. The size of the logo may be adapted in proportion to suit different sizes of packaging.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The fruit is grown and the ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam produced in an area made up of the administrative territory of the municipalities of Bastiglia, Bomporto, Campogalliano, Camposanto, Carpi, Castelfranco Emilia, Castelnuovo Rangone, Castelvetro di Modena, Cavezzo, Concordia sul Secchia, Finale Emilia, Fiorano Modenese, Formigine, Guiglia, Maranello, Marano sul Panaro, Medolla, Mirandola, Modena, Montese, Nonantola, Novi di Modena, Pavullo nel Frignano, Prignano sul Secchia, Ravarino, S. Cesario sul Panaro, S. Felice sul Panaro, S. Possidonio, S. Prospero sul Secchia, Sassuolo, Savignano sul Panaro, Serramazzoni, Soliera, Spilamberto, Vignola and Zocca in the Province of Modena, and the neighbouring parts of the Province of Bologna, in the following municipalities: Anzola nell'Emilia, Bazzano, Castel d'Aiano, Castello di Serravalle, Crespellano, Crevalcore, Monte S. Pietro, Monteveglio, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Sant'Agata Bolognese, Savigno and Vergato.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The area in which ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ PGI jam is produced is characterised by very deep soil which is generally fertile and well-structured, fairly porous and permeable, with essentially a silt-loam conformation and traces of clay. Hence it is ideally suited to growing sour cherry trees, which need to grow in permeable, well-drained and cool ground. The particular structure and texture of the soil mean that it has good porosity and drains well, and thus that the ground is well aerated. The area in question is criss-crossed by a dense network of natural and man-made waterways. The climate type tends to be sub-humid, and sub-arid in the lower-lying parts of the low plain around Modena; such conditions are particularly conducive to the growth of sour cherry trees.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ protected geographical indication differs from other products belonging to the same category of goods by virtue, above all, of the particular organoleptic and chemical and physical requirements of the raw material, which in turn come from the variety of sour cherries grown in the area of production, and especially the characteristic flavour of the jam, which strikes a good balance between sweetness and sourness, with an acidic tinge. Another important distinguishing characteristic is the natural production process, which is based on concentrating the fruit through thermal evaporation without the use of thickeners, colorants or preservatives, the high ratio of fruit to added sugar and the absence of further processing prior to packaging.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The application for registration of ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ jam as a PGI is justified by the product's fame and reputation. The jam's reputation is documented by abundant bibliographical references attesting to the special know-how, passed down over time among the locals, in dealing with the need to process quickly a fruit that does not keep well and creating a product renowned and appreciated mainly for the natural way in which it is produced.

To illustrate the product's reputation, one cannot ignore the existence of a production base, in the area delineated under point 4 above, that even at the start of the last century was home to many cherry orchards and centres for the collection and cold storage of cherries, as well as a number of small-scale businesses and small and medium-sized jam producers. Farmers interested in producing jam have access to a pool of over 350 skilled workers, which brings considerable added value to the product. The first trials involving the intensive cultivation of cherry trees were conducted in 1882 by Luigi Mancini, a lawyer and owner of the ‘La Colombarina’ estate near Vignola, but actually the great botanist Giorgio Gallesio records as early as 1820 the practice of surrounding country cottages with cherry trees so that the fruit could be used for making syrups, preserves, jams, puddings and cakes, in line with the solid family tradition of preparing cherries in the rural province of Modena.

There are many old recipes that testify to the use of the product in the past for preparing local specialities, both in the home and on a small-scale commercial basis, from the finest to the most recent, involving the use of the jam for home-made tarts in particular. Evidence of this can be found in two Modenese manuscripts from the 1800s which explain how to prepare the jam — one is made up of four notebooks kept by four generations of middle-class house-owners and was published in 1970; the other, published in 2001, was written by Ferdinando Cavazzoni, the confectioner of the Molzas, a noble family of Modena.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

The Government launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Amarene Brusche di Modena’ as a protected geographical indication in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 169 of 21 July 2004.

The full text of the product specification is available on the internet at the following website:

— www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumento=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg or

— by going directly to the home page of the Italian agriculture ministry (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE (Reg CE 510/2006)’.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.