COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 15 June 2017

on the publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

of a request 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 (Almansa (PDO))

(2017/C 194/06)

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 ‘Almansa’ 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 ‘Almansa’ 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 ‘Almansa’ (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 2 months of the date of its publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

.

Done at Brussels, 15 June 2017.

For the Commission

Phil HOGAN

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

.

ANNEX

‘ALMANSA’

AOP-ES-A0044-AM03

Date of submission of the application: 31 August 2015

Application for amendment of the specification

1.   

Rules applicable to the amendment

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

2.   

Description and reasons for the amendment

2.1.   

Product description

The amendments are due to changes on the wine market where consumers increasingly demand wine with low alcohol content and wine from new vine varieties which are best adapted to our soil and climate.

In addition, the actual alcoholic strength of young white, rosé, young red and ‘roble’ red wines is specified for semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines, with a minimum alcohol content of 9 % being indicated for this type of wine.

In view of demand and market competition, the Almansa designation of origin relies on the production of quality sparkling wines which are opening up to a new market and which continue to promote the Almansa designation of origin.

In this section, therefore, the parameters are set for the production of quality sparkling wines bearing the Almansa designation of origin.

2.2.   

Oenological practices used

For young white wine, young red wine, barrel-fermented white wine and ‘Crianza’ white wine, the maximum pressing pressure is deleted while the maximum harvest yield is retained. The harvest yield is the yield measured and it is used as the basis to determine the pressure limit at which pressing is carried out.

The limit on the duration of maceration is removed for young rosé wine because it is not possible to set the minimum and maximum periods of maceration for the production of a wine as that duration will depend on the ripeness of the grapes, the temperature of the must during maceration and the grape variety. This will prevent the rosé wines from having too strong a colour, too much tannin, being very robust and difficult to sell.

A new paragraph is added for quality sparkling wine, specifying that quality sparkling wine must be adapted to the requirements set out in letter C of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 606/2009. The Almansa designation of origin will be expanded to include these wines. In addition, it will be possible to indicate the type of fermentation in accordance with Article 66(4) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 607/2009.

2.3.   

Definition of the geographical area

This paragraph contains a request to change the method of defining the geographical area so that it is defined by municipalities instead of by cadastral polygons as is currently the case. From 1975 (Order No 16414 of 19 May 1975 governing the Almansa designation of origin and its regulatory board) to 2006 (Order of 1 February 2006 of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture laying down the production standards and other characteristics or technical specifications of wine with the Almansa designation of origin), the geographical area was defined by municipalities; in 2006, the wine production standard was amended and the geographical area was defined by cadastral polygons.

The current definition of the geographical area was determined on the basis of the areas planted with vines. This geographical area is not continuous, with islands between the cadastral polygons indicated in the production standard, and does not correspond to the historic production area of the Almansa designation of origin, given that the areas not included meet the production conditions of Almansa as set out in the Almansa DO and should therefore be included in the specifications. The proposed amendment will avoid errors in the future due to land consolidation and due to changes in the nomenclature/numbering of cadastral polygons in the land register.

It is therefore requested that the definition of the geographical area for the Almansa designation of origin includes parcels and vineyard plots located in the following municipalities:

— Almansa

— Alpera

— Bonete

— Corral Rubio

— Higueruela

— Hoya Gonzalo

— Pétrola

— the area of the municipality of Chinchilla, corresponding to the Villar de Chinchilla district, bounded by service road AB-402 (going from Horna to Venta de Alhama) and bordering on one side the municipalities of Pétrola and Corral Rubio and on the other the municipalities of Bonete, Higueruela and Hoya Gonzalo.

All of these municipalities form a homogeneous area where soil and climate conditions are comparable and demonstrate the characteristics required by the product specification for the Almansa designation of origin, as stated in the production standard for this wine before 2006.

2.4.   

Vine varieties

The ‘Pinot Noir’ black grape variety has been included (as a secondary variety), since it has been grown in the geographical area since 2000 and it allows wines of the quality required by the Almansa designation of origin to be produced.

2.5.   

Link

This paragraph clarifies the links with the geographical area as regards quality sparkling wine.

The soil and climate conditions, the location of the area, the wine-producing experience of the wine growers and the varieties of the designation of origin provide the necessary conditions for producing grapes of the quality required for the designation of origin to be used in the production of quality sparkling wine.

2.6.   

Names and addresses of control authorities

The names and addresses of the competent control authorities at the time of submitting the request for amendment have been indicated and the link to the website providing updated information on the control authorities for the PDO Almansa has been maintained.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1.   

Name

Almansa

2.   

Type of geographical indication

PDO — Protected Designation of Origin

3.   

Grapevine product categories

1.

Wine

5.

Quality sparkling wine

4.   

Description of the wine(s)

Young white and rosé wines, dry

The white wines are light and moderately aromatic, with medium alcoholic strength and a strong yellow colour.

The rosé wines are strawberry pink to raspberry in colour. They are fresh and light with medium acidity. In the mouth, they are lively and fruity.

General analytical characteristics:

Young white and rosé wines, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet

The appearance and aroma of these wines resemble those of other dry wines produced from the same variety.

Their flavour is balanced in terms of alcoholic strength, acidity and residual sugar content.

General analytical characteristics:

Barrel-fermented white wine and ‘Crianza’ white wine

The appearance of this wine is clean and bright, with a straw yellow colour and/or golden tones.

Its smell contains primary and tertiary smoky aromas from the barrel. Medium to high intensity.

In the mouth, it is balanced and mild on the taste buds, with a fruity after-taste and hints of raw wood.

General analytical characteristics:

Young red wine and ‘roble’ red wine, dry wines

The red wines have a colour that is simple and bright, with shades of violet/garnet and/or purple. Their excellent level of acidity allows ageing and conservation over a long period of time. They have a very strong aroma and colour intensity, and are well blended with medium intensity.

The wines are full-bodied and fleshy, with a colour that is rich, balanced and slightly tannic. The ones that have been kept in oak barrels have a medium persistence and a retronasal aroma with smoky hints.

General analytical characteristics:

Young red wine and young ‘roble’ red wine, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines

The appearance and aroma of these wines resemble those of other dry wines produced from the same variety.

Their flavour is balanced in terms of alcoholic strength, acidity and residual sugar content.

General analytical characteristics:

‘Crianza’, ‘Reserva’ and ‘Gran reserva’ red wines

Cherry red or ruby-red colour, with possible tile-coloured tones. Medium-intense or medium colour.

A good blend of fruity and barrel aromas or spicy aromas. Medium-high or high intensity.

Structured wine with medium tannin levels and a harmonious and long-lasting after-taste. *Maximum volatile acidity: 15 meq/l for aged wines.

General analytical characteristics:

Quality sparkling wine

Fine and long-lasting bubbles, pale to golden and brilliant tones for white wines, pink to tile-coloured tones for rosé wines. Clean and fruity aromas; in the reserve wines, the aromas are intense. In the mouth, they are balanced and lively.

General analytical characteristics:

5.   

Wine-making practices

a.   

Essential oenological practices

Specific oenological practice

The process of alcoholic fermentation must be carried out until all the fermentable sugars have been turned into alcohol; the temperature best suited to producing the characteristic primary aromas must not exceed 20 °C for white wines, 25 °C for rosé wines and 28 °C for red wines. Fermentation may be interrupted in order to maintain the residual sugar content, or, when starting from dry wines, by sweetening using rectified concentrated musts from the production area.

The wines may be aged, the period of ageing being 18, 24 or 36 months, for ‘Crianza’, ‘Reserva’ and ‘Gran reserva’ wines, respectively. The barrels are to be made of oak and have a capacity of 330 litres.

The quality sparkling wines are to be adapted to the requirements set out in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 606/2009.

b.   

Maximum yields

White wine varieties from vines pruned to an open centre

7 860 kg of grapes per hectare

White wine varieties from vines pruned to an open centre

55 hectolitres per hectare

Red wine varieties from vines pruned to an open centre

6 430 kg of grapes per hectare

Red wine varieties from vines pruned to an open centre

45 hectolitres per hectare

White wine varieties from espalier-trained vines

11 430 kg of grapes per hectare

White wine varieties from espalier-trained vines

80 hectolitres per hectare

Red wine varieties from espalier-trained vines

10 000 kg of grapes per hectare

Red wine varieties from espalier-trained vines

70 hectolitres per hectare

6.   

Demarcated area

The area includes parcels and vineyard plots located in the following municipalities: Almansa, Alpera, Bonete, Corral Rubio, Higuereula, Hoya Gonzalo, Pétrola and Chinchilla, the area bounded by service road AB-402 (going from Horna to Venta de Alhama) and bordering on one side the municipalities of Pétrola and Corral Rubio and on the other the municipalities of Bonete, Higueruela and Hoya Gonzalo.

7.   

Main wine grapes

Verdejo

Garnacha Tintorera

Monastrell

8.   

Description of the link(s)

Wine

1)

Details of the geographical area (natural and human factors).

The geographical area which includes the Almansa designation of origin is a high plateau, bordered to the east, across the Almansa corridor, by the old Kingdom of Valencia. For centuries this area marked the passage from the lands of the Levante to Castile. The main distinguishing factor between the territory which includes the Almansa designation of origin and the Levante is the difference in altitude, which ranges from 400 m (in the neighbouring town of Fuente La Higuera) to 700 m (in Almansa) above sea level, even though the two towns are only 15 km apart. The climate is extreme continental, with very cold, dry winters alternating with very hot summers. Rainfall is concentrated in the spring and late summer and the average annual rainfall does not exceed 250 mm.

The soil is generally rich in limestone and stony areas with a rather thin substrate alternate with other areas where the soil is sandier and deeper. The land is not normally very fertile and produces lower yields per hectare.

The municipalities making up the area of the Almansa designation of origin are all located within the province of Albacete. This is a highly rural area whose main urban area is the town of Almansa itself with its 26 000 inhabitants, with agriculture being the main resource of the region. The Almansa designation of origin was established in 1966.

2)

Information on quality or characteristics of the wine which are fundamentally or exclusively due to the geographical environment.

The semi-arid continental climate of the production area of the Almansa designation of origin, together with the relatively infertile soil, make it easier to self-check production in vineyards, the average yield per hectare being 4 500 kg. This low yield per vine increases the colour concentration, the concentration of tannins and the aromatic richness of the red wines. During the ripening phase, the elevation above sea level leads to a very significant thermal inversion at night. This favours the production of high quality wines.

3)

Link between the characteristics of the geographical area and the quality of the wine.

The production area of the Almansa designation of origin is located in a transition region and vineyards are situated on lowlands, characterised by permeable soils that are rich in limestone and low in nutrients; moreover, the average annual rainfall is low, not exceeding 250 mm. The low rainfall, permeability of the soil and low yield allow wines to be produced with a strong aroma and intense colour.

Quality sparkling wine

1)

Details of the geographical area (natural and human factors).

The extreme climate, characterised by very cold, dry winters and very hot summers in the production area, as well as the average altitude, limestone-rich soils and wine-growing tradition of the Almansa designation of origin, constitute appropriate conditions for producing grapes of the quality required and ideal conditions for producing quality sparkling wine.

2)

Information on quality or characteristics of the wine which are fundamentally or exclusively due to the geographical environment.

The low rainfall and relatively infertile soil lead to a low grape yield per hectare, lending body and balance to quality sparkling wines with the Almansa designation of origin, and giving them fine and long-lasting bubbles.

3)

Link between the characteristics of the geographical area and the quality of the wine.

The extreme temperatures and richness of the limestone soil allow the authorised varieties to be grown, giving the wines body and balance; likewise, drought, low yields and sunshine, as well as a natural alcoholic strength, allow the production of quality sparkling wines with defined alcoholic strengths.

9.   

Essential further conditions

Legal framework:

In national legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

In order to use the name of a single specific vine variety, it is necessary for at least 86 % of the grapes to come from that variety and for this to be recorded in the wine registers.

10.   

Link to the product specification

http://pagina.jccm.es/agricul/paginas/comercial-industrial/consejos_new/pliegos/20131202_PLIEGO_DOP_ALMANSA.pdf