Point A.3 of Part I of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that Member States may request that the limits for increasing the alcoholic strength (enrichment) of wine by volume be raised by up to 0,5 % in years in which climatic conditions have been exceptionally unfavourable.

Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia have requested such increases of the limits for enrichment of the wine produced using the grapes harvested in the year 2014, as climatic conditions during the growing season have been exceptionally unfavourable. Such request has been made by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia for all their wine-growing regions. Belgium made the request for one region, Germany for some regions and parts of the regions of Mosel and Saale-Unstrut, France for some communes within the departments of Aude and Hérault, and Italy for some regions in the North and Centre of Italy and a PDO area in the regions of Umbria and Lazio. Belgium, France and Italy have requested the increases of the limits of enrichment for all wine made from grape varieties growing in the areas having suffered from the exceptionally unfavourable weather conditions. Germany requested the increase of enrichment only for wine made from specific wine grape varieties affected for the regions of Baden, Württemberg and Mecklenburger Landwein and the concerned part of the region of Saale-Unstrut.

Due to the exceptionally adverse weather conditions during 2014, the limits on increases in the natural alcoholic strength provided for in point A.2 of Part I of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 do not enable the production of wine with an appropriate total alcoholic strength from all or certain wine grape varieties in certain wine-growing regions or a part thereof for which there would normally be market demand.

Having regard to the purpose of Part I of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, namely to discourage and limit enrichment of wine, and given the exceptional nature of the derogation in point A.3 of that Part, authorisations to increase the limits for the enrichment of wine should be granted only for the wine-growing regions or parts thereof and for the grape varieties affected by exceptionally unfavourable climatic conditions. Therefore, in Belgium, the authorisation should only be granted to the region of Wallonia that has suffered such climatic conditions. In Germany, the authorisation should only be granted for wine from the wine grape varieties Blauer Spätburgunder, Schwarzriesling, Blauer Gutedel, Weißer Gutedel and Blauer Trollinger affected by such climatic conditions in the region of Baden; for wine from all red wine grape varieties affected by such climatic conditions in the regions of Hessische Bergstraße and Rheingau; from all red wine grape varieties and from the white wine grape varieties Bacchus, Blauer Silvaner, Cabernet Blanc, Grüner Silvaner, Johanniter, Müller-Thurgau, Ruländer, Sauvignon Blanc, Scheurebe, Weißer Elbling, Weißer Gutedel, Weißer Riesling and Weißer Burgunder affected by such climatic conditions in part of the region of Saale-Unstrut; from the wine grape variety Blauer Trollinger affected by such climatic conditions in the region of Württemberg; from the wine grape varieties Phoenix, Müller-Thurgau, Elbling and Regent affected by such climatic conditions in the region of Mecklenburger Landwein; and from all wine grape varieties in the regions of Ahr, Mittelrhein, Nahe, Pfalz and Rheinhessen and in part of the region of Mosel that have suffered such climatic conditions. In France, the authorisation should only be granted for a limited number of communes in the department of Aude and Hérault that have suffered such climatic conditions. In Italy, the authorisation should only be granted to the regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Provincia autonoma di Trento, Provincia autonoma di Bolzano, Lombardia, Piemonte, Emilia-Romagna, Toscana, Abruzzo and Puglia and to the area of the Protected Denomination of Origin ‘Orvieto’ in the regions of Umbria and Lazio, that have suffered such climatic conditions.

It is therefore appropriate to authorise an increase of the limits for the enrichment of wine produced using all or certain varieties of wine grapes harvested in 2014, in wine-growing regions in Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia or a part thereof.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets,