Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Date: 2026-04-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Loire Region, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, white wine








C_202601949EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/1949


1.4.2026






Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)

(C/2026/1949)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)



                     ‘Muscadet Sèvre et Maine’
                  


EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0494-AM03 – 8.1.2026
                  

1.   Name of product


               ‘Muscadet Sèvre et Maine’
            
2.   Geographical Indication type







☑


PDO










☐


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Sector







☐


Agricultural products










☑


Wines










☐


Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment


Name

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The French authorities consider that the application meets the requirements of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) 2024/1143.
The amendments to this product specification are standard amendments as defined in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.
The application for an amendment to the ‘Muscadet Sèvre et Maine’ PDO does not involve any of the three situations constituting a Union amendment; specifically it does not:






(a)


include a change in the name or in the use of the name, or in the category of product or products designated by the geographical indication;










(b)


risk voiding the link to the geographical area;










(c)


entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




The French authorities therefore consider that the application is for a standard amendment.
7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)


Title

Labelling

Description

The producer group for the designation has decided to designate the wines using a broader geographical unit by adopting the term ‘Vin de Loire’ [‘Loire Wine’] instead of ‘Val de Loire’ [‘Loire Valley’].
This change is in line with the direction taken by the Loire wine producers as regards communication.
The aim is to give this identity greater visibility and better align it with the reality of wines produced by the valley’s winegrowers.






☑


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Addition of agri-environmental provisions

Description

Two agri-environmental provisions have been added to the specification for the designation: management of vegetation between the rows and a requirement relating to the alteration of the subsoil morphology. The aim is to increase the designation’s sustainability in response to climate change and strong social expectations.






☐


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Start of the harvest

Description

The producer group wants to remove the harvest proclamation requirement so as to simplify the management process while still checking the ripeness of the grapes.






☐


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Height of trellising

Description

The rule setting the minimum or maximum height of the wires according to the trellising methods has been removed. In the context of global warming, this provision is no longer relevant to the designation, and the height of the foliage, a factor in the fruit/leaf ratio, is sufficient.






☐


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Packaging of ‘sur lie’ wines

Description

Regarding the cut-off date for the packaging of ‘sur lie’ [‘on lees’] wines, the aim is to increase flexibility and to adapt the rule to winegrowers’ actual practices. The cut-off date for packaging has therefore been changed to 30 June of the year N+2.
For the sake of clarity and segmentation, the technical production routes for ‘sur lie’ wines are now different from those of SGN wines in order to avoid any confusion. The producer group recognises that SGN wines are in fact bottled after maturation for at least 24 months, while the current minimum period is set at 18 months. The group therefore proposes harmonising the minimum maturation period for all SGN wines at 1 October of year N+2.
Today, more and more winegrowers in the designation also market their wines and have developed their organization, particularly by pooling their bottling equipment between several vineyards. Moreover, climate problems mean that the quantities of bottled, unlabelled wine available on the estate are often insufficient to meet the volume requirements of large retailers. It therefore becomes necessary to be able to blend wines from several estates in order to create larger batches.
In this context the rule that wines have to be bottled in the wineries in which they were made seems outdated. Technical progress regarding transport, particularly the use of refrigerated tanks, now make it possible to guarantee that wine quality is preserved during transfer.
The area authorised for packaging, which up to now has been restricted to the estates producing ‘sur lie’ wines, has therefore been enlarged to include the geographical area of the designation and the immediate proximity.
The section ‘Link to the geographical area’ has been amended accordingly.






☑


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Analytical criteria

Description

The maximum volatile acidity level has been deleted in the specification.
The producer group has stated that it may be difficult to limit the volatile acidity at 10 milliequivalents per litre (0,49 g/l H2SO4) for long ageing periods, sometimes of 8 to 10 years. The level set by general regulations (18 milliequivalents per litre or 0,88 g/l H2SO4) ultimately appears more appropriate, particularly given the effects of climate change, the longer ageing periods for these complex and rich wines, and changing consumer expectations.






☑


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Density

Description

The planting density has been lowered to 5 000 plants per hectare.
The aim of this decrease is to harmonise densities among all PDOs in the Nantes wine-growing area. It also helps avoid the proliferation of agricultural equipment in the vineyards, particularly with regard to soil cultivation tools and treatment equipment, such as recovery panels. This amendment is not considered to impact the quality of the product.






☑


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Declaration requirements

Description

In line with the amendment of the PDO ‘Muscadet’ specification as regards the reduction in the racking time, the deadline for the declaration of reclassification as this designation has also been reduced. It may now be carried out at the latest on 1 December of the year following the harvest.






☐


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Updating of the Geographic Code

Description

The list of municipalities in the geographical area has been updated with the 2025 Geographic Code. This amendment does not alter the designation’s geographical area.






☑


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

Link

Description

The ‘Link’ section has been amended to update sometimes out-of-date descriptions of the human factors (number of operators, production areas, volumes).






☐


This amendment affects the single document.





Title

References

Description

The contact details of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité, INAO) have been updated.






☐


This amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of wines



                     ‘Muscadet Sèvre et Maine’
                  


EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0494-AM03 – 8.1.2026
                  

1.   Name(s)


               ‘Muscadet Sèvre et Maine’
            
2.   Geographical indication type







☑


PDO










☐


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France
4.   Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143


               2204  – Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must other than that of heading 2009
5.   Categories of grapevine products as listed in Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013







1.


Wine




6.   Description of the wine or wines


Grapevine product

White wines

Organoleptic characteristics


Visual appearance

The wines are white.

Aroma

They have a delicate balance of taste between roundness and freshness and develop a complex bouquet of aromas with dominant fruity or floral notes.

Taste

In some cases, prolonged maturation makes them suitable for ageing. They are packaged carefully in bottles to preserve and increase their aromatic richness.

Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics

Generally, the wines with the indication ‘sur lie’ [‘on the lees’] are balanced in the mouth, tending more towards roundness; they have a more complex bouquet and they may be slightly effervescent due to the residual carbon dioxide formed during the alcoholic fermentation. To preserve their freshness, aromatic richness and endogenous carbon dioxide, the wines are protected from oxidation during ageing. The wines are bottled, their carbon dioxide content being too high for them to be packed in flexible containers, and particular care is required during bottling.
Prolonged maturation can make the wines suitable for ageing, for example those with a supplementary geographical name:






—



                        ‘Château-Thébaud’, the wines of which are usually characterised by the finesse and elegance of their bouquet, varying between fruity, floral and aromatic plants, characteristics which meet in the mouth with saline, fresh and tense flavours;










—



                        ‘Clisson’, whose wines are generally characterised by a very concentrated taste and intense aromas, mainly of fruit (ripe and dried);










—



                        ‘Gorges’, the wines of which are often very powerful in the mouth, supported by acidity and bitterness and by mineral or menthol aromas;










—



                        ‘Goulaine’, where the wines usually have an intense bouquet dominated by notes of fresh and dried fruit and floral nuances, and are indicated by their balance, roundness, very slight bitterness and a long-lasting velvety impression in the mouth;










—



                        ‘Mouzillon – Tillières’, whose wines, closed in their youth, later frequently have intense floral, citrus, aromatic herb aromas, with brioche and mineral notes and whose concentrated structure in the mouth is supported by slight bitterness and astringency;










—



                        ‘Monnières – Saint-Fiacre’, the wines of which are often distinguished by their strong aromas of dried or candied fruit and balsamic notes, while in the mouth they reveal a broad and generous profile with a creamy character balanced by a very slight bitterness;










—



                        ‘Le Pallet’, whose wines are frequently distinguished by their smooth balance in the mouth and by their very fine aromatic bouquet dominated by the floral component.





Analytical characteristics







Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum total acidity:


—




Minimum total acidity unit:


—




Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):


—




Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):


—





Additional information regarding analytical characteristics

The wines are white, dry and still. They have: – a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 10 %; – a maximum fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) of 3 grams per litre; – a maximum total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment of 12 %. The total acidity content, the total sulphur dioxide content and the total actual alcoholic strength comply with the thresholds laid down in EU legislation. The wines are white, dry and still.






☑


Any analytical characteristics not indicated in this section are within the limits laid down in the applicable EU legislation.




7.   Winemaking practices

7.1.   Specific oenological practices used to make the wine or wines, relevant restrictions on making them


Winemaking practice

—

Type of oenological practice

Cultivation method

Description

The minimum planting density of the vines is 5 000 plants per hectare. The distance between the rows is 2,20 metres or less, and the spacing between plants in the same row is between 0,90 and 1,10 metres. The vines are pruned with a maximum of 12 buds per plant: – either by spur pruning with a maximum of 5 spurs per plant, – or by means of single or double Guyot pruning. Pruning is carried out before the budding stage or stage 5 on the Eichhorn and Lorenz scale. Regardless of the pruning method, the vines can be pruned with four additional buds per plant on condition that, at the phenological stage corresponding to 11 or 12 leaves, there are no more than 12 fruit-bearing branches for the year per plant.

Winemaking practice

—

Type of oenological practice

Specific oenological practice

Description

Any heat treatment of the wine harvest at a temperature below -5 °C is prohibited. After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume is less than 12 %. The wines are matured on their fine lees at the end of alcoholic fermentation and at least until 1 March of the year following harvest. They remain on their lees at the time of bottling or when first dispatched from the winery. In addition to the above, the oenological practices for these wines must meet the requirements laid down at EU level and in the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.
7.2.   Maximum yields


All wines/category/variety/type:

White wines
Maximum yield:






Maximum yield:


66




Maximum yield unit:


hectolitres per hectare




8.   Indication of the wine grape variety or varieties from which the wine or wines are produced







—


Melon B




9.   Concise definition of the demarcated geographical area

1.   Geographical area







(a)


All stages of the production take place within the geographical area approved by the National Institute of Origin and Quality at the meeting of the relevant national committee on 15 June 2017. The boundary of this area, on the date of approval of this specification by the relevant national committee, comprises the territory of the following municipalities, based on the 2025 Official Geographic Code:






—


Department of Loire-Atlantique: Aigrefeuille-sur-Maine, Basse-Goulaine, Le Bignon (partly), La Chapelle-Heulin, Château-Thébaud, Clisson, Divatte-sur-Loire (delegated municipality of La Chapelle-Basse-Mer only), Gétigné (partly), Gorges, La Haie-Fouassière, Haute-Goulaine, Le Landreau, Le Loroux-Bottereau (partly), Maisdon-sur-Sèvre, Monnières, Montbert (partly), Mouzillon, Le Pallet, La Regrippière, Remouillé, Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine, Saint-Hilaire-de-Clisson, Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, Saint-Lumine-de-Clisson, Les Sorinières (partly), Vallet and Vertou.










—


Department of Maine-et-Loire: Sèvremoine (delegated municipalities of Saint-Crespin-sur-Moine and Tillières only).










—


Department of Vendée: Cugand-la-Bernardière (part of the delegated municipality of Cugand only), Montaigu-Vendée (part of the delegated municipality of Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay only).




The National Institute of Origin and Quality sends the maps establishing the limits of the geographical area thus approved to the town halls of the municipalities included in part. These maps can be viewed on the Institute’s website.










(b)


All production stages of the wines bearing the supplementary geographical designations ‘Château-Thébaud’, ‘Clisson’, ‘Gorges’, ‘Goulaine’, ‘Monnières-Saint-Fiacre’, ‘Mouzillon- Tillières’ and ‘Le Pallet’ take place in the geographical areas approved by the Institute during the meetings of the competent national committee on 3 May 2017 and 5 September 2019.
The boundary of these areas, on the date of approval of this specification by the relevant national committee, comprises the municipalities or parts thereof listed in the specification, based on the 2025 Official Geographic Code.




10.   Link with the geographical area


Category of the grapevine product







1.


Wine





Summary of the link

Due to their coarse texture derived from age-old rocks, the soils of the geographical area give the vines an early start to their growth cycle and limit their vigour. The mild winters accentuate this early start, while the summer sunshine and marine winds protect the vegetation from diseases. These soils provide a moderate and steady water supply to the vine, the guarantee of good ripening, due to their reduced water reserve and fracturing which enable deep rooting. Over the centuries, these factors favoured the selection of the early grape variety Melon B, particularly as the moderate summer temperatures in the geographical area are ideal in order to preserve the freshness and aromas of the wines from this delicate white variety.
The long wine-growing history of the geographical area, its early specialisation and the density of the vines which characterise it have long favoured the pooling of practices. Seeking to protect the authenticity of their products, the producers obtained recognition as an AOC from 1936, one of the first to achieve this in France, at the end of a process initiated in the 1920s.
Their know-how enables operators to control production and harvest healthy grapes when fully ripened. Made in line with local custom, the wines are aged on their fine lees until packaging, without any racking. The geographical area’s mild winter temperatures, which favour interaction with the lees, allow the wines to continue to improve during maturation, growing richer on the palate from the very next spring. Careful bottling makes it possible to preserve the wines’ essential characteristics, as some aromas continue to develop after packaging. This know-how, perfectly suited to the potential of the natural environment and the Melon B variety, allows the odour molecules formed during fermentation and the precursors of glycosidic aromas to be fully expressed in the wines.
Bottled before the summer of the second year after the harvest, AOC wines marked ‘sur lie’ keep their characteristic freshness, supported by a light effervescence due to the residual carbon dioxide formed during the wine-making process. To avoid any oxidation the wines are packaged directly in the geographical area or in the immediate vicinity. This traditional practice, which minimises handling, is perfectly suited to preserving the delicate aroma compounds of the wines.
The diversity of rocks and soils derived therefrom, the topographical variations and climatic nuances due to the distance of areas under vines in relation to the water bodies, partly explain the aromatic complexity encountered in the wines. Taking advantage of the diversity of the natural environment, along with demanding wine-making practices, has enabled producers to distinguish specific features and to promote the supplementary geographical names, the ‘flagships’ of the protected designation of origin:






—



                        ‘Château-Thébaud’ which, due to its western location on the promontories bordering the river Maine, has a climate favourable to early growth. Its soils, derived from gneiss and granodiorite rocks, allow the vines to root deeply, and produce musts rich in organic acids which, after a long maturation period, promote the production of fine and tense wines with great freshness and minerality;










—



                        ‘Clisson’, where the interaction between a relatively late climate, the shallow sandy soils derived from granite, the steep slopes on the Sèvre or the Maine and practices aimed at achieving late grape ripening and long maturation of wines on their fine lees give the wines their richness in the mouth and their characteristic fruity aromas;










—



                        ‘Gorges’, where the soils formed by the weathering of gabbros and the relatively late local climate, along with practices intended to harvest the grapes before full ripeness in terms of sugar content, and then to mature the wines for a long period in an anaerobic environment on their fine lees, result in wines which are lively in the mouth and have a very fresh, mineral aroma;










—



                        ‘Goulaine’, where the land, developed on almost unaltered metamorphic rocks, has a climate that is strongly tempered by the proximity of the Loire and the marshes. This encourages rapid ripening of the grapes which, thanks to being harvested early at full ripeness, produce expressive, balanced and flexible wines with aromas of fresh and dried fruit;










—



                        ‘Monnières-Saint-Fiacre’, situated on the ridges and hillsides bordering the Sèvre, where the soils developed on loose or altered gneiss of low acidity cause slow ripening, allowing the grapes to become very ripe, the basis for full and powerful wines with ripe fruit notes tending towards candied fruit;










—



                        ‘Mouzillon-Tillières’, in the east of the winegrowing area, where the interaction between a more continental climate and sandy-clayey soils formed on gabbro rocks with little alteration favours accelerated ripening, resulting in wines which after careful maturation have intense aromas recalling brioche, spice, fruits and flowers;










—



                        ‘Le Pallet’, where the long wine-growing tradition and the cohesion of the producers have helped to build up the know-how that makes best use of the grapes harvested at full ripeness on stony and cracked soils, leading to the harmony of the wines’ taste and the fineness of their floral aromas.




The winegrowers have learned to preserve the aromatic characteristics of these wines by minimising all contact with oxygen in the air during packaging. With this in mind and in accordance with local custom, these wines are packaged in bottles in the same winery where they are produced.
11.   Further applicable requirements


Title of the requirement/derogation:

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of additional requirement/derogation:

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the requirement/derogation:

Wines eligible for the indication ‘sur lie’ must be packaged in the demarcated area. They are bottled at the winery, so as to keep decanting to a minimum, between 1 March of the year following the harvest and 30 June of the second year following the harvest to preserve the qualities obtained using specific winemaking and maturation methods, in particular their freshness and complex aromas, and a slight effervescence due to their endogenous carbon dioxide content.
It is a maturation method that makes for round and unctuous wines, as they are enriched, in particular, with mannoproteins and other compounds resulting from the autolysis of yeast cell walls. This method is based on lack of intervention and keeping the wines in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, which strongly limits oxidation and the release of volatile compounds. The wines are bottled, their carbon dioxide content being too high for them to be packaged in flexible containers, and particular care is required during bottling. They remain on their fine lees at the time of packaging or when first dispatched from the winery.

Title of the requirement/derogation:

Area in immediate proximity

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of additional requirement/derogation:

Derogation concerning production in the identified geographical area

Description of the requirement/derogation:

The area in immediate proximity, defined by derogation for the vinification, processing, maturation and packaging of wines eligible for the indication ‘sur lie’, comprises the municipalities of the departments of Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire and Vendée listed in the specification.
All production stages of the wines bearing the supplementary geographical designations ‘Château-Thébaud’, ‘Clisson’, ‘Gorges’, ‘Goulaine’, ‘Monnières-Saint-Fiacre’, ‘Mouzillon- Tillières’ and ‘Le Pallet’ take place in the geographical areas approved by the National Institute of Origin and Quality during the meetings of the competent national committee on 3 May 2017 and 5 September 2019.
In accordance with Article 5(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, the area in immediate proximity corresponds to an area in the immediate proximity of the demarcated area in question.

Title of the requirement/derogation:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of additional requirement/derogation:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the requirement/derogation:

The name of the protected designation of origin may be followed by the indication ‘sur lie’ in accordance with the rules laid down in the product specification for the use of this indication. The name of the protected designation of origin may be followed by the geographical name ‘Vin de Loire’, in accordance with the rules laid down in the product specification. The name of the protected designation of origin may be followed by the supplementary geographical names ‘Clisson’, ‘Gorges’, ‘Le Pallet’, ‘Château-Thébaud’, ‘Goulaine’, ‘Monnières-Saint-Fiacre’ and ‘Mouzillon-Tillières’ for wines complying with the production conditions laid down for those names in the product specification. The size of the letters of the indication ‘sur lie’ and of the geographical name ‘Vin de Loire’ must be equal to or smaller, in height, width and thickness, than the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin. For wines labelled ‘sur lie’ or bearing the supplementary geographical names ‘Clisson’, ‘Gorges’ or ‘Le Pallet’, the vintage also appears on the label. The supplementary geographical names are included in the same visual field as the name of the protected designation of origin. The size of the letters of these names are equal to or smaller, in height, width and thickness, than the letters forming the name of the controlled designation of origin. Wines not eligible for a supplementary geographical name may specify a smaller geographical unit on their label, provided that: – it is a registered place name; – it appears on the harvest declaration. The place name is printed in letters no larger, in height or width or thickness, than half the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin. It appears in the same visual field as the name of the controlled designation of origin.

Electronic (URL) reference to the publication of the product specification


https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-55d03fa0-d4a5-4687-81e0-55c6353e73e2



(1)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/1949/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)