#2012-655Decree No. 2012-655 on the Labelling and Traceability of Vitivinicultural Products and Certain Oenological Practices
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This law standardizes the labelling and traceability of wine products in France. It specifies how and what information must be displayed on labels, including the use of codes for producers and geographic details. The decree also dictates specific practices for sparkling wines and the use of certain geographical indications. Importantly, it defines the eligibility for labelling wines with geographical names and distinctions.
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Key Changes
- Standardizes labelling for vitivinicultural products in France.
- Defines rules for using geographical indications on wine labels.
- Specifies conditions for displaying medals and awards on wine labels.
Obligations
What this law requires
Wine bottlers must use a code to replace the name and address of the bottler, importer, seller, or producer on labels. The code must consist of the trademark or inscription from Article 6 of the January 31, 1978 decree followed by the term 'France'. For communes, use postal code preceded by letter 'F', or if not uniquely identified by postal code, add the three-digit geographic code of the commune preceded by 'F'.
For sparkling wines with protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, the producer or elaborator must be indicated on the label. The term 'producer' may be replaced by 'elaborator' or 'elaborated by'.
Wines without protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication may display one or more grape variety names on labels, except for these prohibited varieties: Aligoté, Altesse, Clairette, Gewurztraminer, Gringet, Jacquère, Mondeuse, Persan, Poulsard, Riesling, Savagnin, Sylvaner, and Trousseau.
For wines with protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, if multiple grape varieties are listed on the label, each variety must represent more than 15% of the wine blend.
Awards or medals displayed on labels of French vitivinicultural products must only be from competitions registered on a list established by the minister responsible for consumer affairs and published in the Official Bulletin of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention. Only awarded batches may display the distinctions or medals on their labels.