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: 2026-05-29
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Italy, Piedmont, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, red wine








C_202602778EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/2778


29.5.2026






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/2026/2778)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

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


‘Fara’


EU reference number: PDO-IT-A1178-AM03 – 2.3.2026
                  

1.   Product name

‘Fara’
2.   Geographical indication type







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PDO










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PGI










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GI




3.   Sector







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Agricultural products










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Wines










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Spirit drinks




4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

Italy
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment


Name

Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry – Department for Food Sovereignty and Equestrian Sports – Directorate-General for the Promotion of Agri-Food Quality – PQA I
6.   Qualification as a standard amendment

We confirm that the approval and communication of this standard amendment meet the conditions for approval of a standard amendment under Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 and the provisions adopted pursuant thereto.
This amendment falls under the definition of ‘standard amendment’ laid down in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 because:






—


it does not 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;










—


it does not risk voiding the link to the geographical area referred to in the single document;










—


it does not entail further restrictions on marketing




7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

Title

Correction of the titles of articles

Description

In the product specification, some titles of articles have been corrected to bring them into line with the standard specification.
The amendment concerns Articles 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Proportions in the combination of grape varieties and complementary varieties

Description

The combination of grape varieties has been amended. Previously the requirement was for the proportion of Nebbiolo to be between 50 % and 70 %. The minimum proportion has now been set at 60 %. Complementary grape varieties are therefore permitted up to a maximum of 40 %. The complementary grape varieties that can be used are no longer all those suitable for cultivation in the Piedmont region, but only Vespolina and Uva Rara.
This amendment concerns Article 2 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Altitude of the vineyards

Description

The minimum altitude of the vineyards has been raised from 180 to 200 metres above sea level.
This amendment concerns Article 4 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Maximum yields

Description

The entire article relating to viticultural rules, yields and the quality characteristics of the grapes has been rewritten for greater clarity. In addition, the yields have been lowered. Specifically, the maximum yield per hectare for grapes grown specially for the standard wine type has been reduced from 10,00 to 9,00 tonnes per hectare. For the wine type bearing the term ‘Riserva’, it has been reduced from 9,00 to 8,10.
The amendment affects Article 4 of the product specification and Section 7.2 (‘Maximum yields’) of the single document.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume

Description

The minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of the standard wine type has been increased from 11,50 % to 12,00 %. For wine type bearing the term ‘Riserva’, it has been increased from 12,00 % to 12,50 %.
This amendment concerns Article 4 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Year of planting of vineyards for the wine type bearing the term ‘Vigna’

Description

The minimum planting age for the wine type bearing the term ‘Vigna’ has been lowered from five to three years.
This amendment concerns Article 4 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Maximum yield of the grapes in the finished wine

Description

On account of the reduction to the maximum yield of grapes per hectare, the maximum yield of grapes in the finished wine has been reduced from 7 000 to 6 300 litres for the standard wine type, and from 6 300 to 5 670 litres for the wine type bearing the term ‘Riserva’.
This amendment concerns Article 5 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Maximum grape/wine yield at the end of the ageing period

Description

A maximum limit has been set for the amount of the grape yield transformed into wine at the end of the obligatory ageing period: it must not exceed 68 %. This subsequently determines the maximum wine production in litres per hectare, for both the standard wine type and the type bearing the term ‘Riserva’.
This amendment concerns Article 5 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Topping up of barrels

Description

With regard to the ageing period, it has been specified that topping up is permitted with an equivalent wine, including wine stored in other types of containers, in order to achieve the stated amount of yield.
This amendment concerns Article 5 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Permitted labelling terms

Description

Concerning permitted labelling terms, Article 7(2), the following text has been reworded:

‘2. In the description and presentation of the wine with the protected designation of origin “Fara”, it is permitted to use wordings which refer to names, business names and private brands provided that they are not laudatory in nature and are not likely to mislead the consumer’.

The new version reads:
‘It is, however, permitted to use wordings referring to names, business names and private brands which are not laudatory in nature and are not likely to mislead the consumer.’
This amendment concerns Article 7 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Link with the geographical area

Description

The article on the link with the geographical environment has been updated and rewritten for greater clarity. The new version has, in turn, been included in the single document.
The amendment concerns Article 9 of the product specification and Section 10, ‘Link with the geographical area’, of the single document.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Deletion of the reference to the control body.

Description

The article in the specification that included references to the control body has been amended, and the information replaced with a reference to publication on the official website of the competent authority of the Member State.
This amendment concerns Article 10 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Editorial corrections

Description

Within the product specification, editorial corrections have been made in order to improve the clarity of the text and remove mistakes. Specifically, the amendments concern:






—


inclusion of the phrase ‘Fara’ with ‘wines with the Fara and Fara Riserva protected designation of origin’ in Article 2;










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removal of the erroneous term ‘Bonarda novarese’ as a synonym of ‘Uva Rara’ in the second paragraph of Article 2;










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replacement of the wording ‘on the holding of grapes from the following varieties’ by the wording ‘from grapes from varieties established on the holding of the variety’ [sic]










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removal of outdated references to rules, replaced by reference to ‘regulations in force’ in Articles 5 and 7;










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replacement of the term ‘product’ with the more correct ‘batch’ in Article 5;










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inclusion of the particular ‘also bearing the term Vigna’ and removal of the term ‘perfume’ from paragraph 2 of Article 6;










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replacement of ‘Fara and Fara Riserva’ with ‘Fara in all its forms’ in Articles 7 and 8;










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in Article 7, the phrase ‘description other than Riserva’ has been replaced by ‘description other than those laid down in this product specification’.




The amendments concern Articles 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Superseded paragraphs deleted

Description

Paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 4 and paragraph 3 of Article 6 have been deleted as they were unnecessary.
The amendment concerns Articles 4 and 6 of the product specification.






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The amendment affects the single document





Title

Permitted packaging and capacities

Description

The article on packaging has been reworded to specify the permitted bottle shapes and closures and to increase the permitted capacity of the bottles.
This amendment concerns Article 8 of the product specification and section 11 ‘Further applicable requirements’ of the single document.






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The amendment affects the single document




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of wine


‘Fara’


EU reference number: PDO-IT-A1178-AM03 – 2.3.2026
                  

1.   Name(s)

‘Fara’
2.   Geographical indication type







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PDO










☐


PGI










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GI




3.   Country to which the defined geographical area belongs

Italy
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 product as listed in Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013







1.


Wine




6.   Description of the wine(s)


Grapevine product

Fara including bearing the term ‘Vigna’

Organoleptic characteristics


Appearance

Colour: ruby red;

Aroma

Smell: delicate perfume and pleasingly agreeable;

Taste

Taste: dry, full of flavour, harmonious.

Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics

—

Analytical characteristics







Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum total acidity:


4,5




Minimum total acidity unit:


in grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid




Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):


—




Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):


—





Additional information regarding analytical characteristics

Maximum total alcoholic strength: 12,00 %;
‘Fara’:






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minimum sugar-free extract: 20,0 grams per litre.




‘Fara’ bearing the term ‘Vigna’:






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minimum sugar-free extract: 21,0 grams per litre.










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





Grapevine product

Fara including bearing the term ‘Vigna’

Organoleptic characteristics


Appearance

Colour: ruby red, with light garnet hints;

Aroma

Smell: characteristic, delicate, agreeable;

Taste

Taste: dry, full of flavour, harmonious.

Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics

—

Analytical characteristics







Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):


—




Minimum total acidity:


5,0




Minimum total acidity unit:


in grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid




Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):


—




Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):


—





Additional information regarding analytical characteristics







—


minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12,50 %










—


minimum sugar-free extract: 21,0 grams per litre.










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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 and relevant restrictions on making them

—
Not applicable
7.2.   Maximum yields


All wines / category / variety / type

Fara

Maximum yield







Maximum yield:


9 000 




Maximum yield unit:


kilograms of grapes per hectare





All wines / category / variety / type

Fara Riserva

Maximum yield







Maximum yield:


8 100 




Maximum yield unit:


kilograms of grapes per hectare




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







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Nebbiolo N - Spanna










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Uva Rara N










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Vespolina N - Ughetta




9.   Concise definition of the defined geographical area

Grapes intended for the production of ‘Fara’ wines must be produced in the municipal administrative districts of Fara and Briona.
10.   Link with geographical area


Category of grapevine product







1.


Wine





Summary of the link

A)   Details of the geographical area
Stretched out alongside the Sesia river, Fara is the first of the so-called ‘Novarese municipalities’. It is close to Monte Rosa, with Monte Fenera to the north and Lakes Maggiore and Cusio to the north-west. It covers two municipalities: Briona and Fara Novarese. The area of the Fara PDO is located partly on moraine plateaux and partly on hillsides. Among the products of the area, the primary position goes to the grape. It can boast over a thousand years of experience of vine cultivation, refined by the passage of time, based on the combination of terrain and climate.
B)   Details of the quality or characteristics of the product essentially or exclusively attributable to the geographical environment
The vines of Fara are grown on the eastern side of the Sesia valley. A lengthy and even moraine that runs from north to south, the area is a predominantly clayey plateau divided into two hilly strips. In geological terms, these are fluvio-glacial deposits formed during the melting of glacier fronts. They are composed of materials initially transported by glaciers, and subsequently pulled back and resettled by water courses supplied by the melting of the glaciers themselves. For these reasons, they have the typical characteristics of alluvial deposits: different particle sizes, smoothed clasts and a degree of alteration depending on the age of deposit. Specifically, the Fara and Briona deposit consists of red-brown gravel and pebbles covered by a red-brown clayey paleosoil, with occasional outcrops of altered silicate pebbles. The pebbles come from the Alpine structure forming the Monte Rosa massif and the slopes of the Sesia valley generally, and were eroded and transported over hundreds of thousands of years by the force of the waters of the Sesia river. A peculiarity of the area covered by the designation is that it has soils ranging from sub-acidic to very acidic, due to the very low levels of limestone. Furthermore, the cold winds that blow down from Monte Rosa and the Alps create thermal variations between day and night. These help to develop unique aromatic profiles, ranging from medicinal herbs to spices, and give wines of the area a complex and highly mineral structure. The sensory characteristics described are clearly recognisable and exclusively attributable to this production area.
C)   Description of the causal interaction between the details referred to in point A and those referred to in point B
Since the earliest times, vines have been grown in Fara to make wine. They were mentioned by the writer Pliny the Elder in the first century after Christ.
A Roman sarcophagus has been preserved at Fara Novarese, which can be dated to the second century AD. It bears an inscription stating that the owner traded in agricultural products and wine. Valuable evidence is also available in the ancient accounts of winegrowers.
11.   Further applicable requirements


Title of the requirement/derogation

Provisions for the packaging of the wines

Legal framework

EU legislation

Type of further requirement/derogation

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the requirement/derogation









1.


Wines with the guaranteed protected designation of origin ‘Fara’, in all its types, must be bottled in Bordeaux-style or Burgundy-style bottles, of shaded glass, fitted with a flanged cork closure.












2.


The capacity of the bottles must be as permitted by the legislation in force, in any case not less than 0,375 litres and not more than 5 litres, with the exclusion of any 2-litre containers. Versions of 6, 9 and 12 litres are also permitted.





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


https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/24147



(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/2026/2778/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)