Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 2023/C 62/06
Date: 2023-02-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Andalusia, Spain, condiment, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, wine








C_2023062EN.01001301.xml










20.2.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 62/13






Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(2023/C 62/06)
This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

Communicating the approval of a standard amendment to the product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication originating in a Member State


(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)


‘VINAGRE DEL CONDADO DE HUELVA’


EU NO: PDO-ES-0724-AM02 – 14.11.2022


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product

‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Spain
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Directorate-General for Agri-Food Industry, Innovation and Supply Chain (Dirección General de Industrias, Innovación y Cadena Agroalimentaria)
Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Waters and Rural Development of the Government of Andalusia (Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía)
Calle Tabladilla, s/n, 41071 Seville, España. Tel. +34 955032278, Fax +34 955032112.
Email: dgiica.cagpds@juntadeandalucia.es
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

This should be considered a standard amendment as the amendments to the approved product specification do not affect the protected name, risk voiding the link with the environment or entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product as referred to in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.
This amendment involves changes to the single document.
The following amendments have been approved In the product specification:






—


Section B.2 Raw material – wine (amendment)
The vinegars covered by the specification are produced from wines certified under the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin, not only white and ‘generoso’ wines but also other types of wine certified under the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation, as origin is the decisive and distinguishing factor.
The products that may be added during the production or ageing process have been listed for traceability purposes and in order to establish the organoleptic, physical and chemical characteristics of the final product.










—


Section B.3 Analytical characteristics of the vinegars (amendment)
The terms that may be used on the labelling to refer to the content of reducing substances in the vinegars have been specified in order to standardise the criteria for their use and to avoid misleading consumers. The acetic acid content may decrease and the residual alcohol content increase if a vinegar contains more than 60 g/l of reducing substances, and the relevant exceptions have therefore been specified.
On the other hand, the reference to ash content has been deleted. Prolonged ageing increases the ash content and improves the quality of vinegars, meaning that limiting the ash content does not make sense.
The acetoin content has been aligned with that of quality vinegars.
The parameters for dry extract and residual alcohol have been brought into line with current legislation on wine vinegars, bearing in mind that most unaged vinegars are produced using the method of submerged cultivation in industrial fermenters.










—


Section B.4 Types of vinegar (amendment)
The heading of Section B.4 has been changed to ‘Organoleptic characteristics’ in order to use the same organoleptic criteria for all the vinegars, in line with those set for other protected designations of origin, making them more objective and easier to assess and bringing them into line with other Andalusian product specifications.
Other requirements for the various types of vinegar have been moved to the new Section B.5.










—


Section D.1 Declarations (deletion)
This section concerns the declarations to be submitted by wineries registered with the Regulatory Board. As these are common to all the designations of origin managed by the Board, as specified in the Order of 6 April 2018 approving the regulation on the rules of procedure of the Regulatory Board for the ‘Condado de Huelva’ and ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ protected designations of origin and the ‘Vino Naranja del Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin, the section was deleted to avoid duplication.










—


Section D.2 Records of movements (amendment)
This section has been renumbered as a result of the deletion of Section D.1. It specifies the registers that are mandatory for wineries, as there are other registers for this protected designation of origin for businesses that are not wineries and are therefore not required to keep records of movements.










—


Section E.2 ‘Vinagre Condado de Huelva’Viejo (amendment)
Following changes to the categories of wine covered by the ‘Condado de Huelva’ PDO specification, this section has been adjusted to allow the various types of wine included to be used in the vinegar ageing process.
The Vinagre Añada type has been removed and replaced by Gran Reserva to bring the specification into line with the Andalusian designations of origin for vinegar.










—


Section F.1 Permitted practices, and Section F.2 Prohibited practices (amendment)
The criteria concerning permitted and prohibited practices have been harmonised and brought into line with current legislation on vinegars, i.e. Royal Decree 661/2012 of 13 April 2012 establishing the quality standard for the production and marketing of vinegars.










—


Section G.3 Human link (amendment)
This section has been amended, taking into account the types of vinegar and ageing covered by the preceding sections.










—


Section G.4 Causal interaction (sixth and seventh subparagraphs) (amendment)
The wine type has been amended to include other ‘Condado de Huelva’ PDO wines that are also used in the enrichment process. Also, the reference to the minimum volatile acidity content of aged vinegars has been deleted to avoid inconsistencies, since sweet and semi-sweet vinegars may have a total acetic acid content of 60 g/l, as specified in point B.3(a).










—


Section H. Verification of compliance with the product specification (amendment)
The references to the designated competent authority responsible for controls and the webpage listing the bodies responsible for verifying compliance with the product specification have been updated.










—


Section I. Labelling (amendment)
The conditions or requirements that must be met in order to use various terms have been specified to ensure the terms are used correctly.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘VINAGRE DEL CONDADO DE HUELVA’


EU NO: PDO-ES-0724-AM02 – 14.11.2022


PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name

‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’
2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.8 – Other products of Annex I of the Treaty (spices etc.)
3.2.   Description of product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ is a wine vinegar obtained by acetous fermentation of a certified wine with the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.
The physical and chemical characteristics of ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ are defined as follows:






1.


The values obtained in analyses of aged protected vinegars must be within the following limits:






a)


Minimum total acetic acid content: 70 g/l, except for the sweet or semi-sweet vinegars, which may have a minimum total acid content of 60 g/l.










b)


Soluble dry extract: not less than 1,30 g/l and per percentage point of acetic acid.










c)


Acetoin content: not less than 80 mg/l.










d)


The residual alcohol content must not exceed 3 % by volume, except for the sweet or semi-sweet vinegars, in which it may not exceed 4 % by volume.










e)


Aged semi-sweet vinegars must contain at least 60 g/l of reducing substances.










f)


Aged sweet vinegars must contain at least 150 g/l of reducing substances.














2.


The values obtained in analyses of unaged protected vinegars must be within the following limits:






a)


Minimum total acetic acid content: 60 g/l.










b)


Soluble dry extract: not less than 1,20 g/l and per percentage point of acetic acid.










c)


Acetoin content: not less than 35 mg/l.










d)


The residual alcohol content must not exceed 1,5 % by volume.








The organoleptic characteristics of ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ are defined as follows:
Vinegars covered by the ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ PDO are pale yellow to intense mahogany in colour and range from clear to dense in appearance, depending on the content of reducing substances. They have an intense aroma with notes of wine predominating, sometimes with hints of alcohol and wood in aged vinegars, and a pleasing taste that lingers in the mouth.
The following types of vinegar are covered:






1.


‘Vinagre Condado de Huelva’:
Vinegar produced by the acetous fermentation of wine with the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.










2.


‘Vinagre Condado de Huelva’Viejo (aged):
‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged in oak casks or vats, enriched with wines covered by the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.
There are three subcategories of this vinegar, based on the type and length of ageing.






2.1



Vinagre Solera / Vinagre Crianza

This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged using the traditional dynamic or static method for a period of no less than 6 months.










2.2.



Vinagre Reserva

This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged using the traditional dynamic or static method for a period of no less than 2 years.










2.3



Vinagre Gran Reserva

This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged in a wooden casks for a period of no less than 10 years.














3.


The following types of sweet and semi-sweet vinegars are covered by the aged vinegars described above:






—



Vinagre Viejo al Pedro Ximénez: ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ to which Pedro Ximénez wine or must of the Pedro Ximénez grape variety is added;










—



Vinagre Viejo al Moscatel: ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ to which Moscatel wine or must of the Moscatel grape variety is added.








3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The vinegar is produced using certified ‘Condado de Huelva’ PDO wine as raw material, to which the following may be added:






a)


fresh grape must;










b)


must from raisined grapes;










c)


fresh grape must with fermentation arrested by adding alcohol;










d)


raisined grape must with fermentation arrested by adding alcohol;










e)


concentrated grape must;










f)


rectified concentrated grape must;










g)


products under a), b), c) and d) following reduction.




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

–
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

–
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The labels and guarantee seals of protected products must be verified and registered by the Regulatory Board.
All packaging used to market the vinegar must bear non-reusable quality seals or numbered seals issued by the Regulatory Board or, where appropriate, numbered secondary labels, in accordance with the standards set by the Regulatory Board.
The use of any term that could damage the reputation and quality image of the designation of origin is expressly prohibited, as is the use of any terms intended to extol the vinegar’s qualities that could, explicitly or implicitly, undermine the reputation of other protected vinegars.
The term semidulce (semi-sweet) may be used on the labelling of vinegars containing more than 60 g/l and less than 150 g/l of reducing substances.
The term dulce (sweet) or balsámico (balsamic) may be used on the labelling of vinegars containing more than 150 g/l of reducing substances.
The term joven (young) may be used for unaged vinegars.
The Regulatory Board’s actions regarding the use of these labels may never discriminate against any operator who complies with the product specification.
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The municipalities covered by the ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ PDO are Almonte, Beas, Bollullos Par del Condado, Bonares, Chucena, Gibraleón, Hinojos, La Palma del Condado, Lucena del Puerto, Manzanilla, Moguer, Niebla, Palos de la Frontera, Rociana del Condado, San Juan del Puerto, Trigueros, Villalba del Alcor and Villarrasa. The area extends across the plain of the lower Guadalquivir and borders on the Doñana National Park.
5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specific nature of the geographical area

a)   Natural factor
The characteristics of ‘Condado de Huelva’ vinegars are a product above all of the natural environment in which they are produced and aged and they are influenced in a profound and unique way by the proximity of the Doñana National Park, which is considered to be one of the lungs of Europe. The Condado de Huelva area is known as the ‘Entorno de Doñana’ (the Doñana Region).
The Condado de Huelva lies in the Guadalquivir depression, situated in the south-east quadrant of the Province of Huelva, stretching from the foothills of the Sierra de Aracena to the coast and bordering on the Doñana National Park.
The landscape of the area in which the vinegar is produced and aged is flat or slightly undulating, with gradients nowhere exceeding 17 %, at altitudes increasing from 50 m to 180 m from south to north, with uniform soils because of the composition of the rich parent material.
The geographical location of the Condado de Huelva gives it a Mediterranean climate, although its exposure to the Atlantic, facilitated by the relief, brings oceanic influences. The climate is therefore relatively wet.






—


The average maximum temperature is fairly stable at around 22,5 oC.










—


Average minimum temperatures range from 9,8 oC to 11,9 oC.










—


The annual average temperature varies between 15,8 °C and 16,9 °C.










—


Precipitation is variable, ranging from 810 mm to 716 mm.










—


The area receives an annual average of between 3 000 and 3 100 hours of actual sunshine.










—


Relative humidity ranges between 60 % and 80 %.




b)   Human factor
There are two types of vinegar produced in the Condado de Huelva:






—


The first type is obtained by acetous fermentation of wine of the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin using the industrial method of submerged fermentation, which is based on the presence of a bacterial culture in the wine being processed into vinegar..










—


To obtain this type of vinegar, fermentation is carried out at a temperature of between 28 oC and 33 oC and aeration must be adequate in terms of both quality and quantity.










—


A second type, known as Vinagre Viejo, is classified in three subtypes depending on the type and length of ageing: Vinagre Solera / Vinagre Crianza, Vinagre Reserva and Vinagre Gran Reserva.




The ageing rooms are designed to maintain a constant temperature of between 15 °C and 18 °C all year round, with the highest possible relative humidity (between 60 % and 80 %), good ventilation and a suitable orientation. This is achieved by means of high ceilings and correctly orientated windows and by sprinkling the clay floors with water during periods of high temperatures, which is all intended to create the microclimate required to ensure the optimum ageing of our vinegars.
The casks and vats of American oak used in the Condado de Huelva play a fundamental role in improving the quality of the vinegars during the ageing process. The porosity of the oak allows the vinegar to come into contact with oxygen in the air, permitting oxidation, which promotes ageing.
During ageing, there are changes in the chemical composition of the aged vinegar, and these bring about changes in its characteristics. The processes involved are:






—


evaporation;










—


direct extraction from the wood;










—


reactions between the components of the wood and the vinegar being aged;










—


reactions between the components of the vinegar being aged;










—


chemical processes such as oxidation and hydrolysis.




5.2.   Specificity of the product

The vinegars covered by the ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin are obtained by acetous fermentation of a wine with the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin and, depending on whether they are aged or not, can include ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ and ‘Vinagre Viejo del Condado de Huelva’.
a)   ‘Vinagre Condado de Huelva’
Vinegar produced by the acetous fermentation of wine with the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.
b)   ‘Vinagre Condado de Huelva’Viejo

‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged in oak casks or vats, enriched with wines covered by the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.
There are three subcategories of this vinegar, which differ in terms of the type and length of ageing.






—



Vinagre Solera / Vinagre Crianza











—


This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged using the traditional dynamic or static method for a period of no less than 6 months.










—



Vinagre Reserva











—


This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged using the traditional dynamic or static method for a period of no less than 2 years.










—



Vinagre Gran Reserva











—


This is a ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ aged in a wooden casks for a period of no less than 10 years.




5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product

The distinguishing characteristics of ‘Vinagre del Condado de Huelva’ are mainly due to the raw material from which it is made, a wine with the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin, which owes its unique characteristics to the native Zalema variety of grape – which is native and exclusive to the defined geographical area – and to its production and ageing in the Condado de Huelva.
Additionally, thanks to the geographical location of the area covered by the designation of origin, oxidation is favoured by the high relative humidity, the mild temperatures and the higher oxygen content in the air on account of the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Doñana National Park.
The flat or slightly undulating landscape facilitates the arrival of currents of air. The orientation and architecture of the ageing rooms allow good ventilation and favour the transfer of oxygen through the oak of the casks and vats.
The climatic conditions even allow the vinegar to be aged in the enclosed courtyards of the producers’ facilities.
The characteristics of the vinegars are defined by the value of the parameters:






—


The residual alcohol content is due to enrichment with wine of the ‘Condado de Huelva’ designation of origin.










—


The porosity of the wood used to make the casks and vats allows the vinegar to come into contact with oxygen, facilitating acetous fermentation.










—


During ageing, the volume of the vinegar is reduced by evaporation, which increases dry extract, which is further increased as substances are extracted from the wood and the components of the wood and vinegar react together.










—


Sprinkling the clay floors with water is a practice used in the vinegar ageing rooms to control the relative humidity and the temperature and ensure that they remain stable throughout the ageing process, promoting the mellowing of the vinegars and reducing losses through evaporation.










—


During ageing, the lignin content of the wood is reduced by a process of hydrolysis caused by the ethanol and the water. Hydrolysis is the principal route by which substances pass from the cask or vat to the vinegar, influencing the aroma and colour of the aged vinegars.





Reference to publication of the product specification

The product specification can be consulted by going to the home page of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Waters and Rural Development (https://lajunta.es/3vr71) and clicking on the following: ‘Temas’/‘Industrias y Cadena Agroalimentaria’/‘Calidad y Promoción’/‘Denominaciones de calidad’/‘Vinagres’, or by clicking on the following link: https://lajunta.es/3wnd5.


(1)  OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.