COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 5 October 2018

on the publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

of an application for amendment of a specification for a name in the wine sector referred to in Article 105 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(Vinos de Madrid (PDO))

(2018/C 398/12)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 97(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Spain has sent an application for amendment of the specification for the name ‘Vinos de Madrid’ in accordance with Article 105 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.

(2) The Commission has examined the application and concluded that the conditions laid down in Articles 93 to 96, Article 97(1), and Articles 100, 101 and 102 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 have been met.

(3) In order to allow for the presentation of statements of opposition in accordance with Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the application for amendment of the specification for the name ‘Vinos de Madrid’ should be published in the

Official Journal of the European Union

,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The application for amendment of the specification for the name ‘Vinos de Madrid’ (PDO), in accordance with Article 105 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, is contained in the Annex to this Decision.

In accordance with Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the publication of this Decision confers the right to oppose the amendment of the specification referred to in the first paragraph of this Article within two months of the date of its publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

.

Done at Brussels, 5 October 2018.

For the Commission

Phil HOGAN

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

.

ANNEX

‘VINOS DE MADRID’

PDO-ES-A1525-AM02

Date of application: 25-2-2016

REQUEST FOR AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

1.   

Rules applicable to the amendment

Article 105 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 — Non-minor modification

2.   

Description and reasons for amendment

2.1.   

Amendment to extend the protected geographical area, adding a new sub-area called ‘El Molar’

Description and reasons for the amendment are as follows:

The studies and documents available have revealed that the administrative limit of the existing geographical area of the current ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin is not entirely appropriate, as it does not include another region where wine is effectively being produced, where the traditional practices for making the wines have been maintained for the two categories of wine covered by this DO (wine and quality sparkling wine). This is the reason why the vine-growers, wine-makers and authorities of the eleven municipalities that make up what is known as the ‘El Molar sub-area’ have expressed an interest in joining the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin.

In section 4 of the Product Specification, the geographical area where wines covered by the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin are produced needs to be amended. A fourth sub-area, called ‘El Molar’ is added to the three existing sub-areas (Arganda, Navalcarnero and San Martín de Valdeiglesias).

The new sub-area of ‘El Molar’ consists of 11 municipalities: Colmenar Viejo, El Molar, El Vellón, Patones de Arriba, Pedrezuela, San Agustín de Guadalix, Talamanca del Jarama, Torrelaguna, Torremocha del Jarama, Valdetorres de Jarama and Venturada, which share the same the natural and human factors as the area currently demarcated for the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin and the same link between the product and the geographical area.

This means the protected geographical area will now consist of 70 municipalities instead of the existing 59 that make up the other three sub-areas.

Point 6 of the Single Document also needs to be amended so that its wording is identical to that of section 4 of the Product Specification.

2.2.   

Description of the wines

Paragraph 2(a) Analytical Characteristics of the Product Specification is amended to specify the minimum actual alcoholic strength required to guarantee the homogeneity of this new geographical sub-area of ‘El Molar’, which is set at 11 % for white wines, 11,5 % for rosé wines and 12 % for red wines. It will be noted that these values are the same as the ones provided for two of the current sub-areas (Navalcarnero and San Martin de Valdeiglesias). There are no specific values for the rest of the analytical parameters in this new sub-area; the ones that have been established for the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ PDO apply.

This does not affect the Single Document.

2.3.   

Wine grape variety or varieties

Point 6 of the Product Specification is amended to specify the main varieties of vines in the new sub-area of ‘El Molar’: Malvar in the case of white wines and Red Grenache in the case of red wines.

In any case, the same varieties of vines currently authorised are maintained for the new sub-area and the existing three sub-areas; white wines: Malvar, Albillo Real, Airén, Viura, Torrontés, Parellada, Moscatel de grano menudo (small grain Muscat) and Sauvignon Blanc; red wines: Tinto Fino (Tempranillo or Cencibel), Red Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Graciano and Grenache Tintorera).

This does not affect the Single Document.

2.4.   

Link with the geographical area

The first signs of wine-making activity in the ‘El Molar’ sub-area date as far back as the Early Middle Ages. The oldest of the region’s ‘wine caves’, of Arabic origin, date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. The first written record of the existence of vineyards in San Agustín de Guadalix dates from the 13th century, and in the other municipalities from the 14th century. This activity has continued to the present day, with 4 production industries, 600 vineyard parcels and more than 300 active wine-growers. Therefore the new sub-area of ‘El Molar’ is included in and shares the same historical background as the current ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin.

It can also be confirmed that the new ‘El Molar’ sub-area shares the same uniformity and homogeneity in terms of its pedo-climatic characteristics, varieties, growing and oenological practices and soil features linked to the current geographical area protected under the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ DO.

The Red Grenache and Malvar varieties are the most common ones in the ‘El Molar’ sub-area. They have been grown in the area since ancient times and can also be found in the other current sub-areas where other vine varieties are also common, which have given the wines produced there an excellent reputation since time immemorial.

Section 7(a) ‘Details of the geographical area. Natural factors’ of the Product Specifications is extended to add mentions to the new sub-area of ‘El Molar’.

— Location of the ‘El Molar’ sub-area between the Central System and the Jarama River.

— Description of soils in the sub-area of ‘El Molar’: The soils in the ‘El Molar’ sub-area have developed on the basis of geological materials such as granite, quartz, slate, shale, gneiss, sandstone, marl, limestone marl, limestone and arkose. In this sub-area, the vines are situated in open countryside and in alluvial zones of the Jarama River, and the soils are a mix of those that are found in the three pre-existing sub-areas, i.e. relatively flat elevations in the land between the rivers (this is true of all four sub-areas). The pH range is very broad, from very acid to very alkaline.

— Under ‘Altitude and rainfall’: the municipalities of El Vellón and Colmenar Viejo are added to the higher areas linked to the mountains; San Martín and El Molar are referred to as the sub-areas with the highest rainfall.

In Section 7(b) of the Product Specification, which refers to the human factors, ‘Malvar, which is native to Arganda and Navalcarnero’ is replaced by ‘… Malvar, which is native to Arganda, Navalcarnero and El Molar’. Similarly, in the part explaining the relevance of the Grenache variety (‘queen’) in Navalcarnero and San Martín, the amendment extends this relevance to ‘Navalcarnero, El Molar and San Martín’.

As a result of the amendment made to the geographical area, the numbers mentioned are corrected, so that previous references to ‘three sub-areas’ are changed to ‘four sub-areas’.

Section 7(c) ‘Causal interaction of the Product Specification’ has been reworded to highlight more clearly the features that are fundamentally or exclusively due to the geographical surroundings for each of the vine product categories covered by the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin: wine and sparkling wine, which apply to the four sub-areas:

‘The physical features of the geographical environment, combined with the climatic conditions (plateau of a particular height and rivers, continental climate, low rainfall, austere soils with an average yield of about 3 000 kg per hectare), give rise to white wines that are dry and unctuous with a bitter aftertaste, with notes of ripe white fruit and medium to low acidity. They also lead to rosé and red wines with a high alcoholic strength and intense colour, which are reminiscent of ripe or over-ripe red or black fruits.

The sparkling wines (white and rosé) share the same distinctive elements of the area (characteristic pedo-climatic factors), as well as the same cultural and human factors (size, planting density, varieties, cultural practices, minimum total acidity of 5 g/l), which give them their specific features in terms of appearance, aroma — reminiscent of their lees — and taste. As a result of being made according to the traditional method, these sparkling wines are soft and creamy, presenting a mix of the aromas and tastes of the wines produced in the geographical area. As they undergo a second fermentation process while bottled, the excess pressure and ageing on the fermentation lees give them fine, long-lasting bubbles, a fruity, microbiological aroma and a fresh, sharp taste.

These natural features of the geographical surroundings, combined over the centuries with the painstaking work of the vine-growers and the harmony achieved by planting the right varieties in the right soils, produce quality wines with a unique identity.’

Point 8. Description of the link(s) of the Single Document is amended to provide a summary of the new text of the Product Specification.

2.5.   

Possibility of increasing the yield

Description and reasons:

A fertility report is drawn up in the Spring (flowering count) and before the harvest a reasoned technical report is issued (assessing aspects such as rainfall in winter or a frost-free Spring) to prove that this variation will not have a negative impact on the quality of the protected product. In any case, the maximum increase that can be authorised must not exceed 25 % of the stipulated limits.

Amendment to Point 8 of the Product Specification, Supplementary Requirements, and to section 2.5.1 of the Single Document, to include the possibility of an increase in yield.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1.   

Registered name

Vinos de Madrid

2.   

Geographical indication type

PDO — protected designation of origin

3.   

Categories of grapevine products

1.

Wine

5.

Quality Sparkling wine

4.   

Description of the wine(s)

Wine — White Wines

Appearance

: Pale straw-yellow in colour with sometimes sharp green to grey tones in young wines, turning into golden yellows or old gold for the ‘Crianza’ or ‘Reserva’ wines. White wines which are fermented or aged in oak barrels have straw-yellow tones developing into golden tones with ageing.

Aroma

: Fresh and predominantly fruity, with aromas of fruits containing pips or stones, tropical aromas and burned sugar. Wines which are aged and/or fermented or aged in oak barrels have spicy, balsamic and/or woody aromas, in proportion to their age. ‘Sobremadres’ may have yeasty aromas.

Taste

: Fresh taste, slightly acid, and sweet for the semi-sweet and sweet wines. Unctuous and with a bitter aftertaste. Light and of average length.

Minimum actual strength

: 10 % vol. in the sub-area of Arganda.

Maximum sulphur dioxide

: 250, if > 5 g/l sugars

Limit of volatility

: 16,7 meq/l for wines more than a year old.

Minimum total acidity for the ‘Sobremadres’

: 5 g/l

Values not provided are necessarily within the legal limits, in accordance with the relevant EU legislation.

Wine — Rosé Wines

Appearance

: Pink with tones of strawberries, raspberries or salmon; orange colours can appear in rosé wines more than two years old or which have been aged.

Aroma

: Fresh and fruity with aromas of red fruits and/or floral and/or vegetal in nature. In wines more than two years old this can be combined with spicy aromas proportionate to their age.

Taste

: Fresh taste, slightly acid, and sweet for the semi-sweet and sweet wines. Unctuous with light tannins and average length.

Minimum actual strength

: 11 % vol. in the sub-area of Arganda.

Maximum sulphur dioxide

: 250, if > 5 g/l reducing sugars

Maximum volatility

: 16,7 meq/l for wines more than a year old.

Values not provided are necessarily within the legal limits, in accordance with the relevant EU legislation.

Wine — Red Wines

Appearance

: Reds, violet to cherry tones in young wines, ranging from ruby to brick-red when aged.

Aroma

: Fresh, fruity and/or vegetal in young wines which may have woody aromas and in wines produced and aged in oak barrels. Aged wines may have aromas of dried fruits, spices, aromatic herbs, and empyreumatic and/or mineral aromas. ‘Sobremadres’ may have yeasty aromas.

Taste

: Tannic, warm and long. Fruity in young wines, with hints of oak barrels for wines fermented and/or aged in them.

The ‘Sobremadres’ have a certain unctuousness.

Minimum actual strength

: 11,5 % vol. in the sub-area of Arganda.

Maximum sulphur dioxide

: 200, if > 5 g/l reducing sugars.

Limit of volatility

: 16,7 meq/l for wines more than a year old.

Minimum total acidity for the ‘Sobremadres’

: 5 g/l

Values not provided are necessarily within the legal limits, in accordance with the relevant EU legislation.

Quality sparkling wine

Appearance

: from pale straw-yellow to slightly golden, depending on age. Delicate and abundant bubbles, released over time. Strawberry or salmon pink in colour for the rosé sparkling wines.

Aroma

: Fruity and microbiological aromas

Taste

: Fresh and sharp and with a certain unctuousness for rosé wines; sweet in the case of wines with a sugar content above 10 g.

Values not provided are necessarily within the legal limits, in accordance with the relevant EU legislation.

5.   

Wine making practices

(a)   

Essential oenological practices

Cultivation practice

Crop management techniques for all wines:

Planting density: Between 900 and 4 000 stocks per hectare.

Training and pruning: Goblet or espalier vine-training systems with a maximum of 16 productive buds per stock or 36 000 per hectare.

The maximum yield per hectare may be altered by the Regulatory Board in certain seasons, either at its own discretion or at the request of the interested vine-growers. To this end, a report must be issued by the competent authorities in the field, who will gather the relevant technical reports to prove that the change will not have a negative impact on the quality of the protected product. In any case, this change may not exceed 25 % of the stipulated limit.

Specific oenological practice

The maximum yield is set at 74 litres of must for each 100 kg of harvest.

The grapes suitable for use in the production of wines with the Designation of Origin shall have a sugar content equal to or above 170 degrees per litre of must.

White and red wines which, as a result of their special production method contain carbon gas of an endogenous origin, caused by the fermentation of the musts on the ‘madres’ (crushed, destemmed grapes) may be labelled ‘Sobremadres’.

Sparkling wine shall be made from white and rosé wine.

Only authorised grape varieties may be used in production. Production shall be carried out using the traditional method.

Restriction relevant to vinification

For the extraction of the must from fresh grapes being processed for the first time, or if the wine created by the fermented marc in red wine production, in the processes used for obtaining products suitable for the Designation of Origin ‘Vinos de Madrid’, mechanical systems may be used only when they do not damage the solid components of the bunch; the use of high-speed centrifugal crushers is banned.

No use may be made of practices to pre-heat the grapes, or to heat the musts or the wines in the presence of the marc, with the purpose of forcing the extraction of the colouring material.

(b)   

Maximum yields

Malvar, Airén, Viura, Parellada and Torrontés varieties

8 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

Malvar, Airén, Viura, Parellada and Torrontés varieties

56 hectolitres per hectare

Other varieties

7 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

Other varieties

49 hectolitres per hectare

6.   

Demarcated area

The production area for wines covered by the Designation of Origin ‘Vinos de Madrid’ consists of land located in the following municipalities of the Community of Madrid which include the sub-areas of Arganda, Navalcarnero, San Martin de Valdeiglesias and El Molar:

— Sub-area of Arganda

Ambite, Aranjuez, Arganda del Rey, Belmonte de Tajo, Brea del Tajo, Campo Real, Carabaña, Colmenar de Oreja, Chinchón, the ‘El Encín’ estate (Alcalá de Henares), Estremera, Fuentidueña de Tajo, Getafe, Loeches, Mejorada del Campo, Morata de Tajuña, Nuevo Baztán, Olmeda de las Fuentes, Orusco, Perales de Tajuña, Pezuela de las Torres, Pozuelo del Rey, Tielmes, Titulcia, Torres de la Alameda, Valdaracete, Valdelaguna, Valdilecha, Villaconejos, Villamanrique de Tajo, Villar del Olmo and Villarejo de Salvanés.

— Sub-area of Navalcarnero

El Alamo, Aldea del Fresno, Arroyomolinos, Batres, Brunete, Fuenlabrada, Griñón, Humanes de Madrid, Moraleja de Enmedio, Móstoles, Navalcarnero, Parla, Serranillos del Valle, Sevilla la Nueva, Valdemorillo, Villamanta, Villamantilla, Villanueva de la Cañada and Villaviciosa de Odón.

— Sub-area of San Martin de Valdeiglesias

Cadalso de los Vidrios, Cenicientos, Colmenar del Arroyo, Chapinería, Navas del Rey, Pelayos de la Presa, Rozas de Puerto Real, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Villa del Prado.

— Sub-area of El Molar

Colmenar Viejo, El Molar, El Vellón, Patones de Arriba, Pedrezuela, San Agustín de Guadalix, Talamanca del Jarama, Torrelaguna, Torremocha del Jarama, Valdetrorres del Jarama and Venturada.

7.   

Main wine grapes

 

RED GRENACHE — LLADONER

 

ALBILLO REAL

 

MALVAR

 

TEMPRANILLO — CENCIBEL TEMPRANILLO — TINTO FINO

8.   

Description of the link(s)

Wine and quality sparkling wine

The ‘Vinos de Madrid’ PDO is demarcated on the North and West by the Spanish Central System, a vertical axis that separates Madrid from Castile and Leon. On the East it is bounded by the Alcarria, a plateau of a certain height, low or non-existent fertility and harsh climate, which provides a natural border with the plateau of Castile-La Mancha. The Tajo River marks a natural boundary on the South. The designation is traversed by six waterways which mark out the acclimatisation areas for the vines: the sub-area of San Martín de Valdeiglesias between the Central System and the Alberche River; the sub-area of Navalcarnero between the Alberche River and the Guadarrama River; the sub-area of El Molar between the Central System and the Jarama River, and the sub-area of Arganda between the Guadarrama River and the Tajo.

In the Arganda sub-area, the prevailing soils have a high lime content with areas of gypsum-bearing marl (alkaline PH); in the Navalcarnero sub-area, they are of siliceous origin, on plains with an acidic PH; the soils in the sub-area of San Martín de Valdeiglesias are mostly granitic in origin, on slopes and foothills with an acidic PH; the soils in the El Molar sub-area have developed on the basis of very diverse geological materials, featuring a combination of the soils to be found in the other three sub-areas.

The vines grow at an altitude of between 480 and 1 000 metres. The area has a continental Mediterranean climate, with an average annual rainfall of 658 mm and temperatures ranging between 40 and -17 C. The sunshine hours vary between 2 300 and 2 800 hours.

These pedo-climatic conditions have influenced the human factors as regards the specific handling of the vines, which have traditionally been grown in goblet systems without irrigation, with low planting density and a limited number of plant protection treatments. The natural factors have also been decisive as regards the varieties that were planted: the native Malvar in Arganda, Navalcarnero and El Molar and the traditional Albillo Real in San Martín de Valdeiglesias. As for the varieties grown for red wine, Tinto Fino in Arganda and Red Grenache in Navalcarnero, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and El Molar are considered the main ones for the various sub-areas, given the fact that they have been grown there traditionally since ancient times and because of their decisive impact on the aroma and taste of the wines produced.

In terms of the local varieties, Malvar is native to Arganda, Navalcarnero and El Molar and Albillo Real is traditional in San Martín de Valdeiglesias. As regards the varieties grown for red wine, Tinto Fino is local to Arganda and Red Grenache to Navalcarnero, San Martín de Valdeiglesias and El Molar.

As far as traditional wine-making practices are concerned, the highlight are the ‘sobremadre’ wines, which are bottled without racking after the must is left in contact with what are known as the ‘madres’ (crushed and destemmed grapes).

The wines made from the Albillo Real and Malvar varieties are complex in terms of their aroma, with prevailing notes of white fruit, apple and pear. Tastewise, they are reminiscent of ripe fruit. The red and rosé wines made from Grenache and Tempranillo feature red berry aromas and a ripe fruity taste.

All of these climatic, soil, varietal and human factors combine to give the wines produced in this designation of origin certain unique characteristics: usually low yields (average production per hectare around 3 000 kg of grapes), wines with a high average alcoholic strength (14 ° for the red wines and 12,5 ° for the white wines), with medium-low acidity, with an intense colour for the red wines, aromas of mature or very mature fruits, in many cases like jam, for the white wines usually with hints of pear and apple, and for the rosé and red wines, notes of red and black fruits. A mineral taste with aromatic hints of scrubland and fruity maturity both in terms of taste and aroma.

The quality sparkling wines are made from white and rosé wines, solely of the Malvar, Albillo Real, Torrontés, Viura, Parellada, Red Grenache and Tinto Fino varieties; they share the same distinctive elements of the area (characteristic pedo-climatic factors), as well as the same cultural and human factors (size, planting density, varieties, cultural practices, minimum total acidity of 5 g/l), which give them their specific features in terms of appearance, aroma — reminiscent of their lees — and taste (soft and creamy). As a result of the traditional process whereby these natural sparkling wines are made, including a stage where they are matured in the bottle and a second fermentation, they have fine, long-lasting bubbles, a fruity, microbiological aroma and a fresh, sharp taste.

9.   

Essential further conditions

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

Wines for consumption must carry a guarantee seal, and labels or numbered secondary labels issued by the Regulatory Board. These must be affixed in the winery itself in accordance with the standards determined by that body, provided that this does not enable a second and subsequent use.

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Packaging in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

Wines covered by the ‘Vinos de Madrid’ designation of origin may only be packaged and shipped by bottling companies that are registered and authorised by the Regulatory Board and which are based in the area where they are produced, so as to preserve the specific physical-chemical and/or organoleptic characteristics of the product, thus protecting the quality and reputation of the designation of origin, based on the expertise and traditional know-how (thorough knowledge of the specific characteristics acquired over the course of many years) of the operators in the protected area.

The aim is to ensure the origin and particular quality of the wines, avoiding subjecting the wine to inappropriate environmental conditions that might affect its sensory characteristics (redox phenomena, temperature variations, etc.) and, therefore, change the aspects which define this PDO.

All the protected wines marketed for consumption must be bottled before they can be dispatched. The wines protected by the PDO may only be put into circulation and dispatched by the wineries in bottles which do not detract from their quality or prestige. In view of the fact that the bottling of the wines is one of the critical points for safeguarding the characteristics acquired during the manufacturing process and, where applicable, the ageing process, this must be carried out solely by the owners of the wineries at their bottling facilities, located in the protected demarcated area.

Link to the product specification

http://www.madrid.org/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=filename%3DPliego+de+condiciones+DO+vinos+de+Madrid.+Modificacion+subzona+El+Molar.+v180215.pdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1352947741300&ssbinary=true