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: 2026-06-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Occitanie, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, white wine








C_202603250EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/3250


18.6.2026






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/2026/3250)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

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


‘Muscat de Lunel’


EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0717-AM02 – 19.3.2026
                  

1.   Name of product

‘Muscat de Lunel’
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 for Agriculture, Agri-food and Food Sovereignty Directorate-General for the Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The French authorities consider the application to meet 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 amendments are thus not considered Union amendments within the meaning of Article 24(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143. More specifically, they do not:






(a)


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










(b)


risk voiding the link to the geographical area described in the single document;










(c)


entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)


Title

Geographical area

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section IV ‘Geographical area’ has been updated to include a reference to the 2025 Official Geographic Code.
This amended wording allows the geographical area to be identified with reference to the 2025 version of the Official Geographic Code, which is issued by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), and gives the definition of the geographical area legal certainty.
As a result of this amendment, the paragraph has been redrafted, without any changes to its substance, to specify that wines eligible to bear the term ‘Muscat de Noël’ must be bottled in the geographical area.
The single document has been supplemented in the section entitled ‘Geographical area’.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Trellising rules

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section VI ‘Vineyard management’, point (c) ‘Rules on trellising and foliage height’ has been amended to specify that for vines trained to cordon de Royat, the height of the load-bearing wire has been increased from 0,60 m to 0,80 m to encourage the grapes to grown higher up. The requirement for there to be at least one level of lifting wire has therefore been removed for trellised vines.
This amendment to the specification does not affect the single document.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Cultivation practices – Agri-environmental provisions

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section VI ‘Vineyard management’ has been supplemented to include environmental practices which make it possible to preserve the characteristics of the physical and biological environment, which is a fundamental part of the terroir.
The new provisions relate to the requirements concerning grass cover, the use of plant protection products, the preservation of viticultural landscapes, the upkeep of hedges, vegetation management and soil morphology.
These provisions have been added to the single document in the section entitled ‘Winemaking practices’.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Authorisation of irrigation

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section VI ‘Vineyard management’ has been amended to specify that irrigation may be authorised. This practice is seen as the key to enabling this type of production and grape varieties to withstand the stresses of drought.
This amendment has been added to the single document in the section entitled ‘Winemaking practices’.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Analytical standards – minimum sugar content of wines

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section IX ‘Processing, production, maturation’ has been amended to specify that the fermentable sugar content of the wines must be at least 100 g/l (glucose and fructose) instead of 110 g/l. This amendment makes it possible to adapt the product to global warming and to the rapidly shifting ripening times coupled with a drop in the acidity of the grapes.
This amendment has been included in the single document in the section entitled ‘Description of the wines’.






☑


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Provision concerning product circulation before the date of placing on the market for the consumer

Description

In Chapter I of the product specification, Section IX ‘Processing, production, maturation, packaging, storage’ has been amended to remove the date from which the wines may circulate between merchants and traders, before the date on which the wines are placed on the market for the consumer. This date has been removed in order to allow wines to circulate between all operators and to remove any risk of unfair competition.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Reporting requirements and main points to be checked

Description

Chapters II and III of the product specification on reporting requirements and main points to be checked have been simplified and brought into line with the inspection plan. These provisions have been amended to bring them into line with the arrangements for monitoring the designation.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.





Title

Reference to the inspection body

Description

In Chapter III of the product specification, Section II ‘References to the inspection body’ has been simplified to specify that checks on compliance with the product specification must be carried out on the basis of an approved inspection plan and by a third-party body offering guarantees of competence, impartiality and independence, delegated by the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO), which is the inspection authority.






☐


The amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of wine


‘Muscat de Lunel’


EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0717-AM02 – 19.3.2026
                  

1.   Name(s)

‘Muscat de Lunel’
2.   Geographical indication type







☑


PDO










☐


PGI










☐


GI




3.   Country to which the demarcated 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 product 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 natural sweet wines

Organoleptic characteristics


Visual appearance

After several years in the bottle, the wines take on amber tints.

Aroma

When young, the wines are notable for their fruity aromas of fresh Muscat, sometimes with a hint of lemon. After several years in the bottle, the aromas develop into notes of candied fruit.

Taste

The wines are full-bodied and rich, displaying notes of citrus fruit when young, whilst retaining their freshness. Wines that have been aged for several years in the bottle are exceptionally smooth.

Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics

The wines are produced solely from the Muscat à petits grains B variety.
The wines are aged until at least 31 January of the year following the harvest, except for the wines bearing the term ‘Muscat de Noël’.
The wines bearing the term ‘Muscat de Noël’ are notable for their youthful, fruity notes, sometimes with a hint of lemon. They are made available for sale to consumers from the third Thursday of November in the year of harvest.

Analytical characteristics







Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):


21,5




Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):


15




Minimum total acidity:


—




Minimum total acidity unit:


in milliequivalents per litre




Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):


—




Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):


—





Additional information regarding analytical characteristics

The wines have a fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) of at least 100 g/l.






☑


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

Cultivation methods

Type of oenological practice

Cultivation method

Description

a)   Planting density






—


The minimum planting density of the vines is 4 000 plants per hectare. The spacing between vine rows must not exceed 2,50 metres. The area available for each plant must not exceed 2,50 m2. This area is calculated by multiplying the distance between the rows by the distance between the plants.










—


For vines planted in squares or in a staggered pattern and trained using the gobelet system, the area available for each plant must not exceed 3 m2. This area is calculated by multiplying the distance between rows by the distance between plants in the same row. The spacing between rows and spacing between plants in the same row must not exceed 1,70 metres.










—


Subject to compliance with the minimum planting density of 4 000 plants per hectare, vines planted in continuation of an existing block may have a spacing between rows of more than 2,50 metres.




b)   Pruning rules






—


The vines are pruned using spur pruning, with a maximum of six spurs per plant. Each spur has a maximum of two buds.










—


Vines over 20 years old (21st leaf) may be pruned to a maximum of seven spurs bearing no more than two buds.










—


The rejuvenation of a vineyard parcel trained to cordon de Royat may not exceed 10 % of the existing plants each year.




c)   Irrigation
Irrigation is permitted.
d)   Agri-environmental provisions
Permanent grass cover is required along parcel boundaries (headlands and areas between parcels not planted or cultivated). This requirement does not apply to headlands being restored, in particular following erosion or exceptional climatic events.






—


Growers must take care to adjust the dose of plant protection product applied per hectare according to disease pressure, the phenological stage and the total planted area to be protected.










—


In order to preserve the distinctive vineyard landscape:






—


Destroying features that shape the landscape (low walls, terraces, embankments, bench terraces, hedges, trees and copses, ponds, etc.) is prohibited, unless justified.










—


Pruning hedges and trees is prohibited between 1 April and 31 July:






—


except if pruning is imposed by an external authority for safety reasons;










—


maintenance work can still be carried out at the base of hedges to avoid chemical weeding, without pruning the branches;










—


branches can still be pruned if there is a specific problem (for example, a branch touching an electric fence).


















—


Vegetation that is planted or occurs naturally on these landscape-shaping features is managed by mechanical or physical means.










—


Any substantial alteration of the morphology of the subsoil, topsoil or elements guaranteeing the integrity and sustainability of the soils of a parcel intended for the production of the protected designation of origin is prohibited, with the exception of ordinary trench ploughing.





Winemaking practice

—

Type of oenological practice

Specific oenological practice

Description







—


The wines are produced by adding alcohol to the grape must (a process known as mutage) during fermentation. Mutage is carried out by adding neutral alcohol of vinous origin with a minimum alcohol strength by volume of 96 %, in a proportion in terms of pure alcohol of not less than 5 % and not more than 10 % of the volume of the grape must used. Mutage is carried out before 31 December of the year in which the grape must is harvested. However, additional mutage is carried out by adding a maximum of 10 % pure alcohol, before the claim declaration.










—


Enrichment is entirely prohibited.










—


Any heat treatment of the grape harvest at a temperature below –5 °C is prohibited.










—


In addition to the above provisions, the oenological practices concerning 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

Muscat de Lunel PDO (white natural sweet wines)

Maximum yield







Maximum yield:


40




Maximum yield unit:


hectolitres per hectare




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







—


Muscat à petits grains blancs B – Muscat, Moscato




9.   Concise definition of the demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and aged in the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Hérault, based on the Official Geographic Code in force on 1 January 2025:
Entre-Vignes (only the territory of the delegated municipality of Vérargues), Lunel, Lunel-Viel and Saturargues.
The wines eligible to bear the term ‘Muscat de Noël’ must be bottled in the geographical area.
10.   Link with the geographical area


Category of grapevine product







1.


Wine





Summary of the link

Between Nîmes and Montpellier, along the Via Domitia, the sedimentation of the Rhône (alpine diluvium) has gradually created a landscape of hills with gentle slopes on which the ‘Muscat de Lunel’ PDO vineyards grow.
The geographical area is restricted to the territory of the four municipalities of Lunel, Lunel-Viel, Saturargues and Vérargues. The climate is typically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. Although the cultivation of the Muscat à petits grains B variety has a long history in the Lunel region and was particularly widespread north-east of Montpellier in the 18th century, in the 20th century this demanding variety came to favour locations where the soil and climate conditions were conducive to its cultivation and ripening.
Reflecting local practice, the demarcated parcel area includes only parcels with soils consisting of ‘galets roulés’ (smooth, rounded stones) covered in red clay, which are not very fertile, and parcels on the hilltops and southern slopes of well-exposed hillsides. These locations enable the vines to develop deep roots, guaranteeing access to a limited yet steady water supply, and allow for natural ventilation of the foliage and grapes thanks to the northerly and southerly winds. This enables the crop to be ripe for harvest before the autumn rains whilst maintaining a relative acidity that contributes to the wines’ freshness. This demarcation requires careful plant management. Vine vigour and production potential are controlled by the practice of maintaining low yields from spur pruning and by managing planting densities appropriately. This promotes the harvesting of grapes with a high sugar content and favours their unique aromatic potential, in particular their high levels of terpene alcohols.
These wines were originally made from either sun-dried raisined grapes or grapes harvested when overripe by concentration on the vine, and from partially fermented must. They had a very high fermentable sugar content and would sometimes be supplemented with honey.
Following the discovery of the technique of ‘mutage du vin par son esprit’ (mutage by adding wine spirit) in the late 13th century, this unique production method has been preserved and gradually refined, and is subject to specific legal protection. Production conditions have not changed much over time, other than to ensure that the uniqueness of the raw materials is preserved: addition of neutral alcohol of vinous origin to the grape must, prohibition of enrichment of any kind, prohibition of the use of continuous presses, and a requirement to use an adequate temperature control system during winemaking. Similarly, as any form of transport and risk of oxidation could adversely affect their quality, and in order to preserve their essential characteristics, wines bearing the term ‘Muscat de Noël’ are packaged in glass bottles at the premises where the wines are made.
While ‘Muscat de Lunel’ enjoyed considerable popularity at the courts of Eastern Europe thanks to Father Bouquet, Thomas Jefferson also contributed to its fame: ‘In Lunel, a cask of 240 bottles, after racking and once ready for bottling, costs between 120 and 200 pounds for the highest quality, if it is a new wine. In fact, one cannot obtain any aged Muscat here. Demand is sufficient for the entire harvest to be sold in the first year.’
During the 19th century, François Sabatier d’Espeyran, owner of the Tour de Farges estate in the municipality of Lunel-Viel and producer of ‘Muscat wine’, friend of Gustave Courbet and Jules Michelet, also helped promote ‘Muscat de Lunel’ in the capital. Numerous documents kept in the town halls of Lunel and Lunel-Viel attest to the interest of the local community in this production. Despite the upheavals in Languedoc’s winegrowing sector, it has preserved this know-how and carries on the legacy of centuries past. Shortly before his death in 1781, Father Bouquet summed up the secret behind the quality of his wine in two words: ‘ripeness and purity’. He did not, purely out of modesty no doubt, describe the long historical and technical journey that contributed to the quality and reputation of this unique product.
11.   Further applicable requirements


Title of the requirement/derogation

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area of wines bearing the term ‘Muscat de Noël’

Legal framework

National legislation

Type of further requirement / derogation

Packaging within the demarcated geographical area

Description of the requirement/derogation

The wines bearing the term ‘Muscat de Noël’ that are made available for sale to consumers from the third Thursday of November in the year of harvest must be bottled no later than 1 December of the year of harvest, either by the operator making the wines or by the wine-making collective whose members harvest the grapes; this means that no transport is involved, thus preventing any risk of oxidation.
The aim of the producers is, on the one hand, to better preserve the essential characteristics of the products and, on the other hand, to guarantee and safeguard, by means of checks carried out in the region of production, the quality and specificity of the products and, consequently, the reputation of the protected designation of origin.

Title of the requirement/derogation

Labelling rules

Legal framework

National legislation

Type of further requirement / derogation

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the requirement/derogation







a) -


The traditional term ‘vin doux naturel’ (natural sweet wine) must be printed on the labels.










b) -


Optional terms whose use, under EU rules, may be regulated by the Member States must be printed on the labels in letters that are no larger, in height or in width, than twice the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.










c) -


The wines for which the ‘Muscat de Lunel’ protected designation of origin is claimed and which may be made available for sale to consumers from the third Thursday of November in the year of harvest must be labelled with the term ‘Muscat de Noël’.
The term must be printed in letters no smaller in height than half the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.
The term must also be included in advertisements, leaflets and invoices.










d) -


For wines labelled ‘Muscat de Noël’, the vintage must also appear on the label.





Electronic (URL) reference to publication of the product specification


https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-81d68691-2874-4552-8fbd-a287173c6917



(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/2026/3250/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)