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Hamburg Customs is increasingly having conspicuous wine imports from non-EU countries checked by the Institute for Hygiene and Environment (HU). Around 4,000 to 5,000 wines are declared for import in Germany's most important wine import city every year. In the past years, the proportion of wines that were not importable was between 60 and 70 per cent. The institute checks whether the ingredients are permitted and whether the composition and labelling comply with EU wine regulations. According to the Department of Justice and Consumer Protection, this quota must take into account that not all wines are analysed, but only those suspected of fraud. In the fewest cases, the wines objected to pose a health risk, but they are violations of wine law as well as deceptions of consumers.
"Many of these imports do not only come from classic wine countries like South Africa, Chile or Argentina, but also from special growing areas like Japan, Brazil or Turkey. When they arrive in Hamburg, the wines reach the EU internal market and are distributed within it. The Hanseatic city therefore has an important watchdog function to control the importability of the wines," explains Petra Grauer, wine expert at the HU.
If Hamburg Customs has doubts about the import documents, it obtains an expert opinion from the Institute for Hygiene and the Environment. The wines are first tested in the laboratory for origin and quality according to EU wine legislation. The alcohol content, the composition of the acids and the sugar must match the analytical values indicated on the import documents. Afterwards, sensory testing is carried out by experts. As long as the examinations continue, the consignment remains under lock and key in a customs warehouse. Only if the HU confirms the wine's importability may it be transported further. In the worst case, however, the wine must be destroyed or is sent back to its country of origin.
(ru / Source: Institute for Hygiene and Environment Hamburg; Photo: 123rf.com)