Commission Regulation (EC) No 2244/2002 of 16 December 2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 1622/2000 as regards the use of tartaric acid in wine products
Date: 2002-12-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: application of EU law, common organisation of markets, vinification, viticulture

17.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 341/27

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2244/2002

of 16 December 2002

amending Regulation (EC) No 1622/2000 as regards the use of tartaric acid in wine products

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17
May 1999 on the common organisation of the market
in
wine (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2585/2001 (2),
and in particular Article 46 thereof,

(5)

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 permits the
addition of tartaric acid to the wine products concerned.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1622/2000 of 24 July
2000 laying down certain detailed rules for imple-
menting Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common
organisation of the market in wine and establishing a
Community
and
processes (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
2066/2001 (4), lays down, in particular, restrictions and
requirements pertaining to the use of certain substances
authorised by Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999.

oenological

practices

code

of

Tartaric acid, also called L-tartaric acid, and its salts are
the only substances permitted for the purposes of acidifi-
cation and deacidification of wine products as they occur
naturally in grapes and wine.

The International Vine and Wine Office adopted, in June
2000, a resolution updating in the International Oenolo-
gical Codex the monograph laying down the identifying
characteristics and purity specifications of L-tartaric acid
which may be used in wine-making, which defines
tartaric acid as ‘a natural acid extracted from grapes’.
These purity criteria are more complete but nevertheless
correspond to those laid down in Commission Directive
96/77/EC of 2 December 1996 laying down specific

purity criteria on food additives other than colours and
sweeteners (5), as last amended by Directive 2002/82/
EC (6).

To ensure a high degree of quality, and in particular to
preserve the authenticity and the natural character of
wine in compliance with good oenological practice, the
requirement that tartaric acid which may be used in
taking
wine-making must be of agricultural origin,
account of the specifications of the International Vine
and Wine Office's
International Oenological Codex,
should be incorporated into Regulation (EC) No 1622/
2000.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Wine,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The following paragraph is added to Article 8 of Regulation
(EC) No 1622/2000:

‘Tartaric acid, the use of which is provided for in Annex
IV(1)(l) and (m) and Annex IV(3)(k) and (l) to Regulation
(EC) No 1493/1999, also called L-tartaric acid, must be of
agricultural origin and extracted specifically from wine
products. It must also comply with the purity criteria laid
down in Commission Directive 96/77/EC (*).

(*) OJ L 339, 30.12.1996, p. 1.’

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter
into force on the 20th day
following its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.

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

Done at Brussels, 16 December 2002.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 345, 29.12.2001, p. 10.
(3) OJ L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 278, 23.10.2001, p. 9.

(5) OJ L 339, 30.12.1996, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 292, 28.10.2002, p. 1.