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There is a lack of clarity regarding the group of sparkling wines with regard to the labelling requirements that will apply from December 2023, which will make labelling of ingredients and nutritional information mandatory. While it is clearly regulated for still wines that wines produced from 8 December onwards must display this information to consumers, there is no precise definition for sparkling wines. Producers are waiting for clarification from the European Commission as to when a wine is considered "produced": whether before, during or after the first or second fermentation. The European Commission's addendum also did not specify whether the production date of a sparkling wine should be that of the base wine, bottling or disgorgement.
If no timely determination is made, it will be up to the individual member states to determine what exactly constitutes a "wine produced". However, this would lead to legal uncertainty in the common market. The French Competition, Consumer Protection and Anti-Fraud Authority has already announced that it will "pragmatically monitor the proper application of the rules, particularly with regard to wines 'made' from blends of wines produced before and after 8 December 2023.
A precise guideline is expected by the end of the year.
(al / source: vitisphere)