How will wine labels change in December 2023?

*credit photo pvproductions

From December 2023, each wine will have two types of labels, those printed and affixed on the bottle (label and counter-label) and an electronic label.

Unlike the food industry, the EU wine industry has not been obligated, until now, to list on wine labels the products and substances used in the vinification, conditioning, or aging process of the wine, except for the presence of sulfites.

Until now the front label, which is the promotional image of the wine, contained information about the brand, the producer, the name of the wine range, the region, the year, and the grape variety from which the wine is made.

Complete information was provided on the counter-label. Here, all the producer's data, wine range, grape varieties used, harvest year, alcoholic strength, residual sugar amount (dry, demi-sec, demi-sweet, sweet), bottle capacity, wine description, and "contains sulfites" were specified.

*the image is for demonstration purposes only and is not a legally compliant model

What will consumers understand if the label says it contains traces of egg or milk?

To provide consumers with a higher level of information, Regulation (EU) no. 2021/2117, adopted by the European Union requires that wine labels include a nutritional declaration, a list of allergens, and a list of wine ingredients, to be mentioned in the labeling and presentation of wines produced and marketed in the EU or intended for export.

According to the new legislation, the front label still retains its role as the wine's brand image. However, the back label must now include the designation of the quality category, intolerances, and allergens, actual alcoholic strength by volume, manufacturer's data, indication of provenance, bottler (if different from the producer), importer (for imported wines), residual sugar content, minimum validity date for partially or totally de-alcoholized wines or those with an actual alcoholic strength by volume of less than 10%, lot number, net quantity, and a nutritional declaration of the energy value using the "E" symbol, with calculations based on 100 ml.

The back label must be printed or contain a QR code, RFID, URL, or any other link to the electronic wine label—a web page containing all the required information.

Electronic labels must include the complete nutritional declaration, the full list of allergens, and details of the method used for partially or fully de-alcoholized wines. For wines intended for export, the electronic label must be available in both the language of the producing country and the language of the destination country.

The regulation explicitly prohibits electronic labels from containing sales or marketing information, and manufacturers are not allowed to collect user data or employ electronic tracking methods.

The EU will monitor the implementation of the new Regulation starting in January 2024. Wines that do not comply may be removed from the market and subject to administrative sanctions under Regulation (EU) 1308/2013, Article 90 a.

The regulation states that "Wine that was produced before December 8, 2023," is exempt from these requirements and can still be sold in the EU until stocks are exhausted. The commonly accepted definition of "product" among producers is "wine that has completed fermentation in tanks." Any batch number indicating wine bottled and labeled after this date can be included in "wine that was produced before December 8, 2023."

This legislation applies to bulk wine and wines bottled in various containers, not just bottles. Therefore, wine cans or bag-in-box packaging must also comply with this labeling regulation.

Just as each wine is labeled with printed labels, each wine will also have an electronic label, which will change annually.

The law requires that the information, whether on printed or electronic labels, be available in a language easily understood by consumers, visible, and legible.

Electronic labels may also include other health-related information and warnings, such as specifying if the wine is organic, ecological, or biodynamic, as well as warnings related to excessive alcohol consumption or the effects of alcohol consumption on pregnant women.

"The implementation of the new labeling system must be supported by communication and consumer education, a task that will fall to the wine producers.

The volume of new information, most of it specific to the wine production process, substances, names, ingredients, and allergens, mentioned on the labels, regardless of whether they are specified on the printed labels or the electronic ones, will lead to the removal of the consumer and not to his attraction.

With worldwide wine consumption on the decline and with the pressure to attract new generations to wine consumption, the pressure on communication, information, and education of consumers will be ever greater. Ioana Bidian, Wine Expert  & Consultant 

If you find yourself in one of the following situations:

- You are an EU wine producer or sell wine in the European Union.
- You are an imported wine distributor selling wines in the European Union.
- You are a producer of labels for wines sold in the European Union.
- You are already familiar with the law and are seeking step-by-step information on how to label your wines according to the new EU Regulations.
- You are looking for details on how to communicate nutrition and energy information, how to calculate energy values, and how to organize ingredients and allergens according to the new regulations.
- You want to create electronic labels.

We have the perfect solution for you!
You can contact us at office@artvinium.ro.