Publication of an application pursuant to Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed
Date: 2007-11-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Poland, agricultural product, alcoholic beverage, brand name, foodstuff, labelling, mode of production

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OTHER ACTS

COMMISSION

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on
agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed

(2007/C 267/15)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 9 of Council Regulation
(EC) No 509/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date
of this publication.

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF A TSG

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 509/2006

‘PÓŁTORAK’

EC No PL/TSG/007/0034/06.09.2005

1. Name and address of the applicant group

Name:

Krajowa Rada Winiarstwa i Miodosytnictwa przy Stowarzyszeniu Naukowo — Technicznym
Inżynierów i Techników Przemysłu Spożywczego

Address: ul. Czackiego 3/6

PL-00-043 Warszawa

Tel.

(48-22) 828 27 21

E-mail:

krwim@sitspoz.pl

2. Member State or Third Country

Poland

3.

Product Specification

3.1. Name to be registered

‘Półtorak’

When the product is placed on the market, the label may contain the following information:
‘miód
pitny wytworzony zgodnie ze staropolską tradycją’ (mead produced in accordance with an old Polish
tradition). This information should be translated into other official languages.

3.2. Whether the name

is specific in itself

expresses the specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

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

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The name ‘półtorak’ derives from the numeral ‘1,5’ (PL: ‘półtora’) and relates directly to the historically
established composition and method of production of ‘półtorak’ — the proportions of honey and
water in the mead wort being one part honey to 0,5 part water. The name therefore expresses the
specific character of the product. Since the term ‘półtorak’ is a word that is used solely to denote a
specific type of mead, the name should also be considered to be specific in itself.

3.3. Whether reservation of the name is sought under Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006

Registration with reservation of the name

Registration without reservation of the name

3.4. Type of product

Class 1.8 — Other products of Annex I

3.5. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1 applies

‘Półtorak’ is a mead, a clear beverage fermented from mead wort, distinguished by its characteristic
honey aroma and the taste of the raw material used.

The flavour of ‘półtorak’ may be enriched by the taste of spices that are used. The colour of ‘półtorak’
ranges from golden to dark amber and depends on the type of honey used for production.

The physico-chemical indicators typical for ‘półtorak’ mead are:

— alcohol content: 15-18 % vol.,

— reducing sugars after inversion: more than 300 g/l,

— total acidity expressed as malic acid: 3,5-8 g/l,

— volatile acidity expressed as acetic acid: max. 1,4 g/l,

— total sugar (g) plus actual alcohol content (% vol.) multiplied by 18: min. 600 g,

— non-sugar extract: not less than:

— 30 g/l,

— 35 g/l in the case of fruit mead (melomel),

— ash: min. 1,3 g/l — in the case of fruit mead.

The use of preservatives, stabilisers and artificial colourings and flavourings is prohibited in the produc-
tion of ‘półtorak’.

3.6. Description of the production method of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1

applies

R aw mater ials

— Natural honey with the following parameters:

— water content: max. 20 % (m/m),

— reducing sugar content: min. 70 % (m/m),

— combined sucrose and melezitose content: max. 5 % (m/m),

— total acidity — 1 mol/l NaOH solution per 100 g of honey: within the range 1-5 ml,

— 5-hydroxy-methyl-furfurol (HMF) content: max. 4,0 mg per 100 g honey.

— High-attenuation mead yeast — suitable for attenuation of high extracts in pitched wort.

— Herbs and spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger.

— Natural fruit juices or fresh fruit.

— Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin (possibly).

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Production method

Stage 1

Brewing (boiling) of the mead wort at a temperature of 95-105 °C. The required proportions of honey
and water for ‘półtorak’ are one part honey to 0,5 part water (or water mixed with fruit juice) in the
finished product. As the sugar concentration is too high for the yeast to work in the fermentation
process, a wort with the following proportions is prepared: one part honey to two parts water, to
which herbs or spices may be added. In the case of fruit meads, at least 30 % of the water is replaced
with fruit juice. In order to maintain the appropriate proportions of honey and water that are charac-
teristic of ‘półtorak’, the rest of the honey is added in the final stage of fermentation or during ageing.

Strict adherence to the proportions of water and honey and obtaining the required extract in a wort
kettle fitted with a steam jacket. This method of brewing prevents caramelisation of the sugars.

Stage 2

Cooling of the wort to 20-22 °C, the optimum temperature for yeast to propagate. The wort must be
cooled on the day of production, and the cooling time depends on the efficiency of the cooler. Cooling
guarantees the microbiological safety of the wort.

Stage 3

Pitching, addition of a yeast solution to the wort in a fermentation tank.

Stage 4

A. Violent fermentation: 6-10 days. Keeping the temperature at a maximum level of 28 °C ensures

that the fermentation process runs properly.

B. Still fermentation: 3-6 weeks. The still fermentation period ensures that the proper physico-chem-

ical parameters are attained.

At this stage it is possible to add the remaining quantity of honey to achieve the required proportion in
‘półtorak’.

Stage 5

Racking of the attenuated pitched wort.

After obtaining an alcohol content of at least 12 % vol., racking prior to ageing should be carried out.
This guarantees that the mead has the appropriate physico-chemical and organoleptic properties.
Leaving the pitched wort on the lees beyond the still fermentation period adversely affects the organo-
leptic properties, owing to yeast autolysis.

Stage 6

Ageing (maturing) and siphoning (decanting) — this is repeated as necessary to prevent unwanted
processes from taking place in the lees (yeast autolysis). During ageing it is possible to carry out opera-
tions such as pasteurisation and filtration. At this stage it is possible to add the remaining quantity of
honey to achieve the required proportion in ‘półtorak’, if this has not been done in the final phase of
fermentation. This stage is essential for ensuring that the product has the right organoleptic properties.

The minimum ageing time for ‘półtorak’ is three years.

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Stage 7

Flavour-adjustment (composition) — this stage concerns the preparation of a final product having the
organoleptic and physico-chemical properties appropriate to ‘półtorak’, as specified in point 3.5 —
Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff. In order to ensure that the required parameters are
attained, it is possible to correct the organoleptic and physico-chemical properties by:

— adding honey to sweeten the mead,

— adding herbs and spices,

— adding ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.

The aim of this stage is to obtain a product with the characteristic ‘półtorak’ bouquet.

Stage 8

Pouring into unit containers at a temperature of 18-25 °C. It is recommended that ‘półtorak’ be
presented in traditional packaging, such as: carboys, ceramic containers or oak barrels.

3.7. Specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

The specific character of ‘półtorak’ results from:

— the preparation of the wort (composition and proportion of raw materials),

— ageing and maturing,

— its physico-chemical and organoleptic properties.

Preparation of the wor t (composition)

The specific character of ‘półtorak’ results in particular from the use of, and strict adherence to, the
established proportions of honey and water — one part honey to 0,5 parts water — in the mead wort.
This proportion is the determining factor in all further stages in the production of ‘półtorak’ that
impart its unique properties.

Ageing and matur ing

According to the traditional old Polish recipe, the character of the product depends on its being aged
and matured for a specified period of time. In the case of ‘półtorak’ this period is at least three years.

Physico-chemical and organoleptic proper ties

Observance of all the stages of production included in the specification ensures that a product of
unique taste and aroma is obtained. The unique taste and odour of ‘półtorak’ is the result of appropriate
sugar and alcohol content:

— reducing sugars after inversion: > 300 g/l,

— total sugar (g) plus actual alcohol content (% vol.) multiplied by 18: min. 600 g,

— alcohol: 15-18 % vol.

Owing to strictly defined proportions of the ingredients used in its production,
typically viscous and runny consistency which distinguishes it from other types of mead.

‘półtorak’ possesses a

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3.8. Traditional character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

Traditional production method

Mead production in Poland is a tradition which dates back over a thousand years and is characterised
by great diversity. The development and improvement of the production method over the centuries has
given rise to many types of mead. The history of mead production dates back to the beginnings of
Poland's statehood In 966 the Spanish diplomat, merchant and traveller, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, wrote:
‘Besides food, meat and land for ploughing, the country of Mieszko I abounds in mead, which is what
the Slavic wines and intoxicating drinks are called’ (Mieszko I was the first historic king of Poland). The
Chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, who recorded Polish history at the turn of the 11th and 12th centu-
ries, also contain numerous references to the production of mead.

The Polish national epic poem ‘Pan Tadeusz’ by Adam Mickiewicz, which tells the story of the nobility
between 1811 and 1812, contains a good deal of information on the production, consumption and
types of mead. Mentions of mead can also be found in the poems of Tomasz Zan
different
(1796-1855) and in Henryk Sienkiewicz's trilogy describing events in Poland in the 17th century
(‘Ogniem i mieczem’, published in 1884; ‘Potop’, published in 1886 and ‘Pan Wołodyjowski’, published in
1887 and 1888).

Source materials describing Polish culinary traditions of the 17th and 18th centuries contain not only
general references to mead, but also references to different types of mead. Depending on the production
method, they were called ‘półtorak’, ‘dwójniak’, ‘trójniak’ and ‘czwórniak’. Each of these names relates
to a different type of mead, produced on the basis of different proportions of honey and water or juice,
and different ageing times. The ‘półtorak’ production technique has been used, with minor modifica-
tions, for centuries.

Traditional composition

‘dwójniak’,

The traditional division of mead into ‘półtorak’,
‘trójniak’ and ‘czwórniak’ has existed in
Poland for centuries and still exists in consumers' consciousness to this day. After the Second World
War attempts were made to regulate the traditional division of mead into four categories. This division
was finally enshrined in Polish law in 1948 by means of the Act on the production of wines, wine
musts, meads and trade in such products (Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland of 18 November
1948). This Act contains rules on the production of meads, specifying the proportions of honey and
water and the technological requirements. The proportions of water and honey for ‘półtorak’ are given
as follows:
‘Only mead produced from one part natural honey and a half part water may be called
“półtorak”’.

3.9. Minimum requirements and procedures to check the specific character

Mandatory checking encompasses

— adherence to the established proportions of ingredients in the mead wort,

— adherence to the length of the ageing time,

— organoleptic properties of the finished product (taste, odour, colour, clarity),

— physico-chemical indicators of the finished product: alcohol content, total sugar, reducing sugar
after inversion, total acidity, volatile acidity, non-sugar extract, and ash in the case of fruit meads —
the values should correspond to the values specified at point 3.5 of the specification.

Mandatory checks are carried out at least once a year.

It is recommended that checks also be carried out during the production stages listed below. Checks at
the production stages listed below are not mandatory, but are advisable, because they help eliminate
possible errors occurring at different stages of production:

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Stage 4

During the fermentation process, regular laboratory tests should be carried out on organoleptic proper-
ties (taste and odour) and physico-chemical parameters such as alcohol content and content of sugars
that are subject to change during the alcoholic fermentation process.

Stage 6

During ageing, regular checks should be carried out on the basic organoleptic properties of the product
and physico-chemical indicators such as alcohol content, total sugar, total acidity and volatile acidity.

Stage 8

Before bottling, checks are carried out on the various physico-chemical and organoleptic parameters
specified at 3.5 — Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff.

4. Authorities or bodies verifying compliance with the product specification

4.1. Name and address

Name:

Główny Inspektorat Jakości Handlowej Artykułów Rolno — Spożywczych

Address: ul. Wspólna 30, PL-00-930 Warszawa

Tel.

Fax

(48-22) 623 29 00

(48-22) 623 29 98

E-mail: —

Public

Private

4.2. Specific tasks of the authority or body

The inspection authority above is responsible for the verification of the entirety of the specification.