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What changes will the new wine labelling regulation bring in 2019?
The sale of wine in the member states of the European Union is generally subject to the EU Food Information Regulation (FIR). This regulates the information that food suppliers must provide to their customers prior to purchase. Online retailers must implement these information requirements in their shop; the mandatory information for wine includes the quantity, alcohol content, price per litre and bottler (or, in the case of sparkling wine, the producer and, in the case of wines from non-EU countries, the importer).
On 14 January 2019, new regulations for the labelling of wine came into force in this context. These allow for greater conceptual diversity:
The alcohol content, which must always be indicated in per cent by volume, may now also be referred to using the abbreviation "alc." - in addition to the terms "actual alcohol content" or "actual alcohol" or the abbreviation "alc.".
The following labelling regulations apply to wines containing substances that may trigger an allergic reaction(allergens):
- Sulphites may be referred to with the terms "sulphites" or "sulphur dioxide".
- If the wine has been fined with eggs or egg products, the terms "egg", "egg product", "egg protein", "lysozyme from egg" or "albumin from egg" may be used for labelling.
- If the wine has been adulterated with milk products, the terms "milk", "milk product", "milk protein" or "casein from milk" may be used for labelling.
In the case of wines from non-EU countries for which a company based in an EU country is responsible for the import, the new regulations now also permit the terms "importer" or "imported by" in addition to the terms "importer" or "imported by".
Infringements of the FIR are frequently the subject of warnings. For comprehensive legal advice on protection against warning letters, wein.plus works together with the lawyer and internet expert Hans-Peter Kröger, who specialises in the wine trade and offers wein.plus Business Premium members preferential conditions for certain services. Details can be found in the wein.plus world of benefits for members: Expert legal advice
RA Kröger offers Business Premium members of wein.plus a free initial consultation after receiving an warning letter: To the initial consultation