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Regulation 5

SCHEDULE 2Table wine with a geographical indication

Geographical units

18.  The Department may approve geographical units in Northern Ireland to be used as geographical indications for regional wine, and must publish them on the website of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development..

Geographical indications for table wine

19.—(1) It is an offence to use a geographical indication for the designation of a table wine produced in Northern Ireland unless the wine conforms to the standards for regional wine in this Schedule.

(2) The wine must comply with the Table in this Schedule.

(3) The wine must come from a batch of wine—

(a)for which the maximum yield for each hectare of land cultivated with vines for producing the wine was 100 hectolitres;

(b)that has been produced exclusively from grapes harvested in the geographical unit the name of which is used for the designation of that wine;

(c)that has a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 6%;

(d)that has a minimum acidity of 4 grams per litre;

(e)for which a certificate has been issued by the producer of the wine certifying that analytical tests of the wine in that batch have been carried out in respect of the factors specified in the table of standards in this Schedule and in accordance with Regulation 2676/90, and it has been found to satisfy those standards;

(f)that has been found to be of a satisfactory organoleptic standard for a regional wine in accordance with sub-paragraph (5).

(4) A geographical indication also may be used to designate a table wine obtained by the coupage of wines as permitted by Article 51(2) of Regulation 1493/99.

(5) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (3)(f), a wine is of a satisfactory organoleptic standard for a regional wine if—

(a)a certificate has been issued by a recognised organoleptic assessment panel certifying that it has carried out an organoleptic assessment of the wine and has found it to be of a satisfactory organoleptic standard for a regional wine; or

(b)the wine has been highly commended or awarded a bronze, silver or gold award at a competition—

(i)authorised by the Department and notified to the Commission pursuant to Article 21 of Regulation 753/2002, and

(ii)run with complete impartiality.

(6) Subject to point A, paragraph 2, of Annex VII to Regulation 1493/99 (sales description), it is an offence to use a geographical indication other than the name of a geographical unit approved under paragraph 1 on the labelling or advertising of wine produced in Northern Ireland.

Table of standards for wine with a geographical indication

FactorStandard to be met
Actual alcoholic strength by volume

A minimum of 8.5%

Total alcoholic strength by volume
(a)

in the case of an enriched white wine, a maximum of 11.5%;

(b)

in the case of an enriched red or rosé wine, a maximum of 12%; and

(c)

in the case of any other wine, a maximum of 15%

Natural alcoholic strength by volume

A minimum of 6%

Total acidity

A minimum of 4 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

Volatile acidity

In the case of a sweet wine with 45 grams per litre or more of residual sugar, a maximum of 1.14 grams per litre expressed as acetic acid

Free sulphur dioxide
(a)

in the case of a dry wine, a maximum of 45 milligrams per litre, and

(b)

in the case of any other wine, a maximum of 60 milligrams per litre

Total sulphur dioxide
(a)

in the case of a red wine with less than 5 grams per litre of residual sugar, a maximum of 160 milligrams per litre;

(b)

in the case of red wine with 5 grams per litre or more of residual sugar, a maximum of 210 milligrams per litre;

(c)

in the case of a white or rosé wine with less than 5 grams per litre of residual sugar, a maximum of 210 milligrams per litre; and

(d)

in the case of a white or rosé wine with 5 grams per litre or more of residual sugar, a maximum of 260 milligrams per litre

Copper

A maximum of 0.5 milligrams per litre

Iron

A maximum of 8 milligrams per litre

Sterility

There must be no indication of yeasts or bacteria liable to spoil the wine

Protein stability

The wine must remain unchanged in appearance after being held at 70°C for 15 minutes and subsequently cooled to 20°C