COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 4 December 2015

on the publication in the

Official Journal of the European Union

of the single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and of the reference to the publication of the product specification for a name in the wine sector

[Dons (PDO)]

(2015/C 407/06)

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) Denmark has applied for protection of the name ‘Dons’ in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 on the protection of designations of origin and geographical indications in the wine sector. In accordance with Article 97(2) of that Regulation, Denmark’s application was examined by the Commission.

(2) The conditions laid down in Articles 93 to 96, Article 97(1), and Articles 100 to 102 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 are met.

(3) In order to allow for the submission of statements of objection in accordance with Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the

Official Journal of the European Union

should therefore publish the single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of that Regulation and the publication reference of the product specification made in the course of the preliminary national procedure for examining the application for protection of the name ‘Dons’,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and the publication reference of the product specification for the name ‘Dons’ (PDO) are set out 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 object to the protection of the name specified in the first paragraph of this Article within two months from the date of its publication.

Done at Brussels, 4 December 2015.

For the Commission

Phil HOGAN

Member of the Commission

(1)

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

ANNEX

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s) to be registered

Dons

2. Geographical indication type

PDO — Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

Quality sparkling wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

Analytical requirements

Acceptance criteria for Dons

—

Malic acidity

: < 0,3 g/l

—

Carbon dioxide content

: > 4 bar excess pressure at 20 °C

—

Residual sugar content

: < 25 g/l

Organoleptically, Dons quality sparkling wine is characterised by a particularly ‘brilliant’ acidity. The sparkling wines are light and elegant, dominated by crisp acids resulting from the conversion of its originally high malic acidity into lactic acidity. The nose has a hint of citrus/lime/elder and a characteristic toastiness, with a long after-taste ending on a note of acidity.

In terms of appearance the wine is transparent with hues of white to pink/rosé/light red, and with fine, small and long-lasting bubbles.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	10,0
Minimum total acidity	4,5 g/l, expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	16,66
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	150

5. Wine making practices

a.

Essential oenological practices

Pressing of the grapes

Specific oenological methods

The pressing method used is gentle pressing of entire grape bunches at a maximum pressure of 1,6 bar.

Harvest, sorting and pressing

Cultivation methods

The grapes must be hand-picked before reaching full physiological maturity to ensure conservation of high acidity, in particular malic acidity.

Grape bunches must be sorted by hand following specific instructions.

Fermentation

Specific oenological practice

The product is made sparkling by a second alcoholic fermentation in a bottle. The cuvee’s total alcoholic strength after primary fermentation is at least 9 %.

Before the secondary fermentation the cuvée undergoes malolactic fermentation.

The length of the production process, including ageing, is at least nine months calculated from the start of the fermentation process.

The fermentation is designed to make the cuvée sparkling, and the cuvée must be left to age on the lees inside the bottle for at least 180 days.

After fermentation in the bottle the product is separated from the lees by disgorging.

b.

Maximum yields

5 000 kg of grapes per hectare

6. Demarcated area

Defined area: The town of Dons near Kolding, Denmark; more specifically the tunnel valley of fluvioglacial gravel and sand sediments within the cadastral district of Dons By, Almind. The Dons By cadastral district, comprising an area of 853 ha, has been clearly demarcated on plot maps since 1821.

The vineyards are located at an altitude of 25-60 m and within a short distance of the sea, about 7 km from Kolding Fjord.

7. Main wine grapes

Zalas Perle

Cabernet Cortis

Orion

Madeleine Angevine

Solaris

Rondo

Regent

Pinot Noir

8. Description of the link(s)

The vineyards are located around the town of Dons, at an altitude of 25-60 m and within a distance of about 7 km from the sea. The area is a tunnel valley formed by subglacial erosion, with lakes formed as dead-ice kettles with hilly slopes and nutrient-poor heathland on sandy sediments.

The analytical parameters differ from those of classical sparkling wines in terms of a higher lactic acidity attributable to the northern growing conditions.

The profile of the wine, in particular its acidity profile, is attributable to the geographical conditions of the area and its specific terroir, characterised by nutrient-poor sediment gravel and deep sand layers far above the groundwater aquifers, resulting in large rootstocks, and to the selection of relatively hardy varieties.

Bottling:

Under Section (c) of the product specification, the product must be grown, produced and bottled within the defined area as this has proved a prerequisite for obtaining its specific qualities. Moreover, transport outside the area could affect specific production methods relating to storage, disgorging and ageing, leading to a quality degradation beyond the winemaker’s control. There is no production of wine in areas adjacent to that covered by the application.

Link to the product specification

http://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Kemi%20og%20foedevarekvalitet/Varestandarder-handelsnormer-kvalitet/Produktspecifikation%20Dons%20rev%20nov%202014%20(2).pdf