As we announced two weeks ago, reflections on the regulation of dealcoholised wines were underway in the scope of the new CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). It is now official, Europe should allow dealcoholised wines to maintain their PDO and PGI.
"A new category of 'dealcoholised wine' has been created," announced Daniela Ida Zandonà, advisor to the European Federation of Origin Wines (EFOW). Under the upcoming reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), scheduled for 1 January 2023, geographical indications and protected designations of origin will be allowed to produce wines with a low alcohol content of less than 8.5% alcohol.
This means that wines without geographical indications (VSIG) will be allowed to go below 0.5% alcohol, while wines with protected geographical indications (IGP) and protected designations of origin (AOP) will be allowed to de-alcoholise to between 0.5% and 8.5% alcohol.
Zandona explains that it will be up to each appellation to decide whether to adopt these changes. While it is likely that the more prestigious appellations will retain their current regulations, the younger and more innovative appellations will probably be the first to take the plunge.
The European Union has taken this decision "in view of the ever-increasing consumer demand for innovative vineyard products with an actual alcoholic strength below the set minimum".
While there will be no changes to the regulation of appellations until the new CAP reform is in place on 1 January 2023, Zandonà is confident that "Member States will not reopen negotiations on issues such as these, on which they have already agreed".
It remains to be seen which appellation will be the first to accept de-alcoholised wines?
http://dealcoholization.zohosites.com/