Hundreds of millions of labels already printed could be destroyed following a last-minute change to wine labeling rules.
In Provence, the wines and spirits subsidiary of LVMH, Moët Hennessy, which owns Château Galoupet, Château d’Esclans, etc., is experiencing dark times just like its competitors Grands Chais de France (Châteaux Terrebonne, Gigery, etc.) and Pernod Ricard (Château Sainte-Marguerite).
These three operators, who did not respond to our interview requests, have already printed the QR code on a large number of their wines, like the Château Galoupet Cru Classé rosé whose traceability is ensured via a QR coded. Their validity could be contested, in any case for wines whose QR code is identified with the symbol “I”, and not “Ingredients”. A bomb at the heart of reform.
“Ingrédients”, “I”, what?
It all started with the European Commission’s guidelines, a question/answer game providing clarification to the wine industry’s many questions relating to the new labeling rules.
In this document, published on November 24, two weeks before the entry into force of the law, Brussels gives a new interpretation of EU legislation, on the appearance that the labels should have: the QR code must be identified with the term “Ingredients”. Bad choice for those who chose the “I” registered ISO 2760! Since the information was released, the powerful European Wine Business Committee (CEEV) has seen red. “For several months, given the lack of clear official information, we have been calling on wine companies to anticipate by printing their QR codes. Most large operators, who produce millions of bottles, have complied with the new regulations given the long lead times required to prepare the information, modify the design of the labels and print them., explains Augustin Chazal, director of the aperitif wine federation, member of the Vin-CEEV Committee. In a press release, this powerful lobby asks “an urgent modification of these guidelines, to avoid the destruction of hundreds of millions of bottles already printed.” On the Italian side, the Ministry of Agriculture published last week, “a decree authorizing the use of already printed labels even if they do not perfectly match the rules. On the French side, discussions continue. assures Augustin Chazal.