Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 on the common organisation of the market in wine as regards oenological practices and processes
Date: 1997-02-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common organisation of markets, vinification, wine

COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  05.02.1997 
COM(97) 29  final 

Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (EC) 

amending Regulation  (BEC) No 822/87 on the common organisation of the market  in wine as 
regards ocnological practices and processes 

(presented  by  the  Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

1. 

Introduction 

Annex  VI  to the basic  Regulation  (EEC) No  822/87 establishes  the  list of oenological  practices 
and  processes  authorised  for  wine-making.  Practices  and  processes  not  in  that  Annex  are  not 
permitted. 

Where the oenological  practices  in question  have  been the subject  of experiments authorised  by 
the  Member  States,  the  procedure  for  their  authorization,  detailed  in  Article  26,  provides  for  a 
Council  decision  by qualified  majority. 

The  development  of  methods  and  the  results  of  experiments  recently  carried  out  in  certain 
Member  States  justify  a  series  of  amendments  to  Annex  VI,  with  the  aim  of  introducing  new 
practices. 

In  addition,  work  carried  out  by  the  International  Vine  and  Wine  Office  on  the  technological, 
quality  and  health  aspects  of  this  matter,  in  which  the  Member  States  of  the  European  Union 
have  actively  participated,  has  resulted 
in  the  approval  of  the  new  practices  by  that 
internationally  recognised  body. 

2.  Content of the Regulation  proposal  presented  by the  Commission 

The main  purpose  of the proposal, which  is based  on Article 26(4) of the  basic  Regulation,  is to 
include  in  Annex  VI  three  new  oenological  practices  for  which  experiments  carried  out  under 
the authority  of the Member  States have given  satisfactory  results. 

The three practices are as  follows: 

Tartaric  stabilisation  of  wines  by  elcctrodialysis.  The  purpose  of  this  practice  is  to  obtain 
tartaric  stability  of the  wine,  in other  words, the absence  of subsequent  precipitation  of  tartar 
in  wines  for  laying  down  by  the  selective  extraction  of  ions  in  a  state  of  supersaturation  in 
the wine. This is a physical  process with  no addition of external  substance  to the wine. 

-  Tartaric  stabilisation  by the addition  of neutral  calcium  tartrate. The  purpose  of this  practice 
is  to  obtain  the  tartaric  stabilisation  of  wine  by  triggering  the  controlled  precipitation  of 
potassium  tartrate  and  calcium  tartrate.  The  addition  of  calcium  tartrate,  which  is  naturally 
present  in  the  wine,  induces  the  combined  precipitation  of  potassium  and  calcium  tartrates 
during the chilling of the wine. 

Treatment  of  the  wine  with  urease.  The purpose  of  this  practice  is  to  reduce  the  amount  o\~ 
urea  naturally  present  in wine  by  the addition  of an enzyme,  urease, which  decomposes  urea 
into carbon  dioxide  and ammonium.  If there  is too much  urea  it will  react  with  the ethanol  in 
the wine to form  methane, an undesirable  substance  in wine, during  the course of ageing. 

The  proposal  also  contains  minor  amendments  to  the  text  of  the  Annex  with  a  view  to 
specifying  certain  practices  already  admitted  for  the  aeration  of  the  must  (which  includes  the 
use  oï~  oxygen)  and,  for  the  German  version,  the  correction  of  certain  inaccuracies  in  the 
translation  of scientific  or technical  terms. 

The proposal  has no  financial  impact on the Community  budget. 

Proposal  for a 

C O U N C IL  REGULATION  (EC)  No 

/.. 

of 

amending  Regulation  (BBC)  No 822/87  on  the common  organisation  of the  market  in wine  as 
regards oenological  practices and  processes 

II Hi COUNCIL  OF THE  EUROPEAN  UNION, 

I laving  regard  to the Treaty  establishing  the European  Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  822/87  of  16  March  1987  on  the  common 

organisation  of  the  market  in  wine1,  as  last  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  1592/962,  and  in 

particular  Article 26(4)  thereof, 

Having  regard  to the  proposal  from  the Commission3, 

Whereas,  in  accordance  with  Article  26(1)  of  Regulation  (EEC1)  No  822/87,  certain  oenological 

practices  not  provided  for  in  thai  Regulation  have  been  authorised  experimentally  by  certain 

Member  States;  whereas  the  results  obtained  indicate  that  they  can  be  regarded  as  improving 

vinification  and  the  conservation  of  the  products  concerned  while  presenting  no  health  risk  to 

consumers;  whereas  the  practices  are  for  the  most  part  already  recognised  and  permitted  by  the 

competent  international  authorities;  whereas,  therefore,  they  should  be  permitted  definitively 

throughout  the  Community  and  Annex  VI  to  Regulation  (EEC)  No  822/87  should  be  amended 

accordingly; 

Whereas,  in  the  German  version  of  Regulation  (EEC)  No  822/87,  in  Annex  VI.l(q)  and  3(z),  the 

term  "Milchbaklerien"  is  scientifically  incorrect  and  must  be  replaced  by  "Milchsaurebaklericn"; 

whereas,  in  the  same  version,  in  Annex  VI.3(z)a,  the  term  "Karamel"  is  incorrect  and  does  not 

correspond  to  the  substance  concerned  by  this  practice,  which  is  known  as  "Zuckcrkulor"  in 

German;  whereas  the  use  of  "Xiickcrkiilor" should  be  permitted  from  1 September  1989,  the  date 

1  OJ No L 84, 27.3.1987, p.  I. 

2  OJ No L 206,  16.8.1996, p.  31. 

of entry into force  of Regulation (EEC) No 4250/884, while preserving the legal certainty  of those 

concerned who have used "Karamel", 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

Annex VI to Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 is hereby amended as follows: 

1. 

Paragraph  1  is amended as  follows: 

a) 

in point (a) the following  is added: 

"or the addition of oxygen to the must;" 

b) 

in  point  (q),  the  term  "Milchbakterien"  in  the  German  version  is  replaced  by 

"Milchsaurebakterien". 

2. 

Paragraph 3 is amended as follows: 

a) 

in point (v), the following  indents are inserted: 

the addition of neutral calcium tartrate to assist the precipitation  of tartar, under 

conditions to be determined; 

electrodialysis  treatment  to  guarantee  tartaric  stabilisation  of  the  wine,  under 

conditions to be determined;" 

b) 

in  point  (z),  the  term  "Milchbakterien"  in  the  German  version  is  replaced  by 

"Milchsaurebakterien". 

c) 

in  point  (z)a,  the  term  "Karamel"  in  the  German  version  is  replaced  by 

"Xuekerkulor". 

d) 

the following  point is added: 

"(z) b  the  use,  under  conditions  to  be  determined,  of  a  urease  to  reduce  the  urea 

content in the wine." 

OJ No L 373, 3 1.12.1988, p. 55. 

Article 2 

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on the  seventh day  following  its publication  in the  Official 

Journal of the European Communities. 

However,  Article  l(2)(c)  may  be  applied  from  1 September  1989  at  the  request  of  interested 

parties. 

This Regulation  shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

one at 

For the Council 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

BUDGET  HEADING: 
16 

APPROPRIATIONS: 
ECU  868.3  million 

TITLE: 
Proposal  for  a Council  Regulation  amending  Regulation  (EEC) No  822/87  on  the  common  organization  of  the  market  in 
wine  as  regards  oenological  practices  and  processes. 

LEGAL  BASIS: 
Article  26  of  Regulation  (EEC)  No  822/87. 

AIMS: 

-  It  introduces  three  new  oenological  practices 
-  It defines  more  accurately  some practices  already  authorized 
-  It corrects  some  scientific  and  technical  terms  in the German  translation 

5. 

FINANCIAL  IMPLICATIONS 

5.0 

5.1. 

EXPENDITURE 
-  CI IARGED TO  PME EC  BUDGE 
(REFUNDS/INTERVENTION) 

-  NATIONAL  AUTHORITIES 
-  OTHER 

REVENUE 
-  OWN  RESOURCES  OF  THE  EC 
(LEVIES/CUSTOMS  DUTIES) 

-  NATIONAL 

5.0.1 
5.1.1 
5.2 

ESTIMATED  EXPENDITURE 
ESTIMATED  REVENUE 
METHOD  OF  CALCULATION: 

PERIOD  OF 
12  MONTHS 

(ECU  million) 

CURRENT 
FINANCIAL 
YEAR 
(1997) 
(ECU  million) 

FOLLOWING 
FINANCIAL 
YEAR 
(1998) 
(ECU  million) 

1999 

2000 

2001 

2002 

(>.0 

CAN  THE  PROJECT  BE  FINANCED  FROM  APPROPRIATIONS  ENTERED  IN  THE 
Rl  LEV AN T CI IAP TER  Ol  11 IE CURREN  T  BUDGE T? 
CAN  Till'  PROJECT  BE  FINANCED  BY  TRANSFER  BETWEEN  CHAPTERS  OF 
CURRENT  BUDGET? 
WILL  A SUPPLEMENTARY  BUDGET  HE  NECESSARY? 
WILL  FUTURE  BUDGET  APPROPRIATIONS  BE  NECESSARY? 

6..> 
OBSERVATIONS: 

Y-ES/NO 

Yl^S/NO 

YES/NO 

The measure  has  no  impact  on  the  budget. 

4-

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 29  final 

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