Publication of an amendment 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
Date: 2010-06-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, mode of production, olive oil, product designation, product quality








C_2010163EN.01001601.xml










23.6.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 163/16





Publication of an amendment 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
2010/C 163/06
This publication confers the right to object to the amendment application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.
AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


Amendment application according to Article 9


‘CHIANTI CLASSICO’


EC No: IT-PDO-0105-0108-05.12.2003


PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1.   Heading in the specification affected by the amendment:








—





Name of product




—







Description of product




—





Geographical area




—







Proof of origin




—







Method of production




—





Link




—





Labelling




—





National requirements




—





Other (to be specified)




2.   Type of amendment(s):








—







Amendment to single document or summary sheet




—





Amendment to specification of registered PDO or PGI for which neither the single document nor summary has been published




—





Amendment to specification that requires no amendment to the published single document (Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




—





Temporary amendment to specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 9(4) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)




3.   Amendment(s):

3.1.   Description of product:

As a result of the entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 640/2008, the organoleptic values were changed and the terms ‘fruity flavour of olives’ and ‘grass/leaves’ have been removed. The new organoleptic table provides for broader ranges of intensity. Those ranges are broader than the preceding ones as a result of changes in the weather over recent years.
So far as concerns the chemical assessment, the tocopherol value is greater than 140 ppm and the oleic acid value is greater than 72 %.
The reason for an indication of total tocopherols in excess of 140 ppm instead of the 150 ppm laid down in the preceding production specification lies in the nature of the method of analysis used. The setting of a value of 150 ppm was based on the analysis of a number of samples of oil produced within the Chianti Classico area and on research carried out over ten years into the qualitative characteristics of the oil; the tocopherols used to be determined on the basis of the analysis method designed by the Istituto per le sostanze grasse di Milano (Milan Institute for Oils and Fats). Now, however, the laboratory responsible for the qualitative analysis of the oil uses a different standard in order to carry out the tocopherol analysis. The different methods give a reading which is different from the final result, albeit by a little, only because the method itself varies. Thus, the reduction of the tocopherol level to 140 ppm should be seen as an adjustment to take account of the analytical methods rather than a lowering of the actual level.
So far as regards the oleic acid value, the bad weather in some seasons has delayed the ripening of the olives with regard to the main biochemical aspects, resulting in lower values in that respect.
3.2.   Proof of origin:

This change is intended to bring the summary into line with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006.
3.3.   Method of production:

The new temperature laid down for the extraction installations requires it not to be above 27 °C.
The change is necessary in order to make it possible to market ‘Chianti Classico’ oil as ‘cold-pressed’.
The request for the change was submitted by the Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico, Via degli Scopeti 155, Località Sant’Andrea in Percussiva, San Casciano Val di Pesa (FI).
Established by a notarised document of 1 December 1989, the Consorzio Olio DOP Chianti Classico also submitted the request for registration of the name ‘Chianti Classico’. Furthermore, the Ministry has ascertained that ‘olive growers’ are a category within the association, representing two thirds of the production checked. ‘Bottlers’ and ‘millers’ are also represented as categories in the Consorzio.
SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006


‘CHIANTI CLASSICO’


EC No: IT-PDO-0117-0108-05.12.2003


PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.
1.   Responsible department in the Member State:







Name:


Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali




Address:







Via XX Settembre 20




00187 Roma RM




ITALIA








Tel.


+39 0646655106




Fax


+39 0646655306




E-mail:


saco7@politicheagricole.gov.it




2.   Group:







Name:


Consorzio di tutela della denominazione di origine protetta olio extravergine di oliva «Chianti Classico»




Address:







Via Scopeti 155




Sant’Andrea in Percussiva




50026 San Casciano in Val di Pesa FI




ITALIA








Tel.


+39 0558228511




Fax


+39 0558228173




E-mail:


oliodop@chianticlassico.com




Composition:


Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )




3.   Type of product:







Class 1.5 —


Extra virgin olive oil




4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
4.1.   Name:

‘Chianti Classico’
4.2.   Description:

‘Chianti Classico’ extra virgin olive oil must be produced from olive from registered olives groves in a proportion of at least 80 % from the varieties Frantoio, Correggiolo, Moraiolo and Leccino, alone or together, and no more than 20 % from other local varieties.
The characteristics which the oil must have when placed on the market are the following:






—


maximum acidity of 0,5 % (expressed as oleic acid),










—


maximum peroxide value of 12 (meq of oxygen),










—


extinction in the ultraviolet at K 232 of maximum 2,1 and at K 270 of maximum 0,2,










—


oleic acid content > 72 %,










—


total CMPs (phenol antioxidants, method applied by the Stazione Sperimentale per le Industrie degli Oli e dei Grassi — Oils and Fats Industry Experimental Station) above 150 ppm,










—


total tocopherols above 140 ppm.




The oil must in addition:






—


range in colour from deep green to green with golden tones,










—


have a distinct olive fruity aroma.




The entries in the profile sheet completed by the panel of assessors must be as follows:






(a)


green fruity 3-8;










(b)


bitter 2-8;










(c)


pungent 2-8.




4.3.   Geographical area:

The production area for ‘Chianti Classico’ oil comprises, in the Provinces of Siena and Florence, the following administrative districts: Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and Greve in Chianti in respect of the whole surface area, Castelnuovo Berardenga but only up to the limits of S. Giusmé and Vagliagli, and certain parts of the municipal districts of Barberino Val d’Elsa, Poggibonsi, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.
The area is the same as the production area for ‘Chianti Classico’ wine set out in the Interministerial Decree of 31 July 1932, published in GURI (Italian State Gazette) No 209 of 9 September 1932.
4.4.   Proof of origin:

Every stage in the production process must be monitored and a record made of the inputs and outputs at each stage. To that end, it is the duty of all those involved in the process to complete the requisite transport documents provided for in the control plan. The transport documents must accompany every consignment of olives and/or oil, indicate all the necessary information regarding the origin of the product as referred to in point 4.3, and be available for consultation by the inspection body for the purposes of inspections. This, together with the entry on special lists held by the inspection body of olive groves, producers, oil millers and bottlers, ensures the traceability of the product. All natural and legal persons whose names appear in the lists will be subject to control by the inspection body in accordance with the specification and the control plan.
4.5.   Method of production:

Cultivation takes place in olive groves located between isohyets of 650 mm and 850 mm and isotherms of 12,5 °C and 15 °C at an altitude of over 200 m above sea level on hilly land with a subalkaline pH. Olives grown in groves which do not satisfy these requirements or are located in places where proper cultivation cannot be guaranteed or where the environmental and soil conditions differ from those of the rest of the area may not be used in the production of ‘Chianti Classico’ oil.
The olives must be removed directly from the trees, collected, where appropriate, in nets or canvas and transported and stored in stackable boxes perforated on five sides, in layers of no more than 30 cm. Where necessary they must be kept in suitable cool, well-ventilated premises for no more than three days from the time of harvesting. They must be transported in the same boxes or in other appropriate containers to the oil mill. Bags or sacks may not be used.
Before being pressed at the oil mill the olives must be stored in premises and containers which preserve their characteristic features.
Pressing must take place within 24 hours of delivery to the oil mill, which must be located within the production area.
Once the olives have been washed in water at ambient temperature extraction of ‘Chianti Classico’ oil must take place using reliable and consistent mechanical and physical methods under which the temperature of the olive processing installation must not exceed 27 °C during treatment. These methods must in any case have been verified as suitable for not altering the typical and traditional physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the product.
Producers or other entitled persons will be permitted to mix successive batches of oil obtained by pressing olives from the same holding. Within the area described at 4.3 above, producers are permitted to transfer to other producers, for mixing, batches of olives and oil which meet the requirements of the production specification. ‘Chianti Classico’ oil may not under any circumstances be mixed with other oils, including extra virgin oil, produced in areas other than that described at 4.3 above or in the same area in preceding years or from batches extracted from olives harvested after the set date of 31 December each year.
The oil produced may not exceed 650 kg/ha for olive groves with a density of not less than 200 trees.
Where the density is lower, production may not exceed 3,25 kg per tree.
‘Chianti Classico’ oil must be obtained using sound olives only, that have been cultivated in accordance with appropriate agronomic standards.
The premises and containers in which the oil is stored must be such as to ensure that it is preserved under optimum conditions.
Oil which satisfies the specification standards must be bottled within three months of notification of compliance. On the expiry of that period the oil, if it is to be bottled, must again undergo sampling.
‘Chianti Classico’ oil may be bottled up to 31 October of the year following that in which it is produced and may be placed on the market up to the following February.
The year of production of the ‘Chianti Classico’ oil must be clearly shown on the labelling.
‘Chianti Classico’ oil must be put up in the production area in glass containers of a specified volume in nominal quantities of up to five litres. Metal containers may be used for quantities of between three and five litres. Containers must be closed hermetically using a device which, upon opening, breaks the guarantee seal.
4.6.   Link:

The characteristics of the product are attributable to the special soil and weather conditions of the region. The area is fairly uniform in terms of terrain and climate with mild, dry autumns (before December, infrequent but heavy rainfall), known to be suitable for conferring on the oil its character and flavour. The early harvesting traditionally needed in order to avoid the first frosts of autumn which can harm the olives affects the quantity obtained but gives the oil the organoleptic ‘body’ for which it is renowned.
The area as a whole is at the cultivation line (isotherms 13 and 14,5) and this has an impact on the fructification cycle with the fruit being harvested at the onset of maturity and by tradition removed directly from the tree. The thermal requirements determine the shape of the trees (as a rule branching out at the top) and consequently the distribution of heat and light in the crown.
The area has specific climatic and hydrological characteristics and has been well mapped out since the fourteenth century.
‘Chianti Classico’ oil has a centuries-old tradition that has been handed down from father to son; population growth, religious rites and ceremonies requiring the use of olive oil and, not least, nutritional reasons connected with the diet of people living in the area between Siena and Florence have given a strong boost over the years to olive oil production, transforming extensive areas of woodland into olive groves and vineyards and enhancing the outstanding attractiveness of the Tuscan landscape between the cities of Siena and Florence.
The area was given more precise recognition in an edict issued by Duke Cosimo III in 1716 marking out its present boundaries in acknowledgement of the merits and distinctive features of its wine and olive production: a kind of PDO long before the term was invented. A complete theoretical and practical treatise on the olive by G. Tavanti in 1819 listed the main varieties grown in the Chianti Classico region.
Cultivation methods, the special soil and weather conditions of the area and specific knowledge and research associated with the cultivation of olive trees contribute to the production of top quality extra virgin olive oil with distinctive characteristics.
4.7.   Inspection body:







Name:


Camera di Commercio Industria, Agricoltura e Artigianato di Firenze Servizio attività e promozione agricoltura. Ufficio certificazioni olio d’oliva e altri prodotti tipici




Address:







Piazza dei Giudici 3




50122 Firenze FI




ITALIA








Tel.


+39 0552795507




Fax


+39 0552795522




E-mail:


—




4.8.   Labelling:

The labelling on containers must bear, in addition to the particulars normally required by law and trade practice, the words ‘Olio Extravergine di Oliva Chianti Classico’ followed immediately by the words ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’ and show clearly in indelible letters the year of production.
It is prohibited to add to the designation any description not expressly provided for in the production specification. However, marks denoting producer groups, names of holdings, estates or farms and place names referring to locations where olives are genuinely grown may be included.
The designation must be shown on the label in clear, indelible letters sufficiently intense in colour to contrast sharply with the colour of the label. The graphic characters of any additional wording may not exceed 50 % of the size of the wording of the designation.


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.