1.   A single producer may be an applicant within the meaning of Article 37(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 if it is shown that:

2.   A Member State or third country, or the respective authorities thereof shall not be an applicant within the meaning of Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

1.   The name to be protected shall be registered only in the language(s) used to describe the product in question in the demarcated geographical area.

2.   The name shall be registered with its original spelling(s).

1.   For the purpose of application of Article 34(1)(a)(iii) and (b)(iii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 and of this Article ‘production’ covers all the operations involved, from the harvesting of the grapes to the completion of the wine-making process, with the exception of any post-production processes.

2.   For products with a protected geographical indication, the portion of grapes, of up to 15 %, which may originate outside the demarcated geographical area as provided for in Article 34(1)(b)(ii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, shall come from the Member State or third country concerned in which the demarcated area lies.

3.   By way of derogation from Article 34(1)(a)(ii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, Annex III, Part B, paragraph 3 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 (10) on wine-making practices and restrictions applies.

4.   By way of derogation from Article 34(1)(a)(iii) and (1)(b)(iii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, and on condition that the product specification so provides, a product with a protected designation of origin or geographical indication may be made into wine either:

By way of derogation from Article 34(1)(b)(iii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, and on condition that the product specification so provides, wines with a protected geographical indication may continue to be made into wine beyond the immediate proximity of the demarcated area in question until 31 December 2012.

By way of derogation from Article 34(1)(a)(iii) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, and on condition that the product specification so provides, a product may be made into sparkling wine or semi-sparkling wine with a protected designation of origin beyond the immediate proximity of the demarcated area in question if this practice was in use prior to 1 March 1986.

1.   The details bearing out the geographical link referred to in Article 35(2)(g) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall explain to what extent the features of the demarcated geographical area influence the final product.

In case of applications covering different categories of grapevine products, the details bearing out the link shall be demonstrated for each of the grapevine products concerned.

2.   In the case of a designation of origin, the product specification shall set out:

3.   In the case of a geographical indication, the product specification shall set out:

4.   The product specification for a geographical indication shall state whether it is based on a specific quality or reputation or other characteristics linked to its geographical origin.

1.   The application shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of an application to the Commission shall be the date on which the application is entered in the Commission's mail registry. This date is made available to the public by appropriate means.

2.   The Commission shall mark the documents making up the application with the date of receipt and the file number allocated to the application.

The Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt indicating at least the following:

1.   In the case of a trans-border request, a joint application may be submitted for a name designating a trans-border geographical area by more than one group of producers representing that area.

2.   Where only Member States are concerned, the preliminary national procedure referred to in Article 38 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 applies in all the Member States concerned.

For the purposes of application of Article 38(5) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, a trans-border application shall be forwarded to the Commission by one Member State on behalf of the others, and shall include an authorisation from each of the other Member States concerned authorising the Member State forwarding the application to act on its behalf.

3.   Where a trans-border application involves only third countries, the application shall be forwarded to the Commission either by one of the applicant groups on behalf of the others or by one of the third countries on behalf of the others and shall include:

4.   Where a trans-border application involves at least one Member State and at least one third country, the preliminary national procedure referred to in Article 38 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 applies in all the Member States concerned. The application shall be forwarded to the Commission by one of the Member States or third countries or by one of the third-country applicant groups and shall include:

5.   The Member State, third countries or groups of producers established in third countries which forwards to the Commission a trans-border application as referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this Article, becomes the consignee of any notification or decision issued by the Commission.

1.   For the purposes of determining whether an application for protection is admissible, the Commission shall verify that the application for registration set out in Annex I has been completed and that the supporting documents have been attached to the application.

2.   Any application for registration that is deemed admissible shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

If the application has not been completed or has only been partially completed, or if the supporting documents referred to in paragraph 1 have not been produced at the same time as the application for registration or some are missing, the Commission shall inform the applicant accordingly and shall invite him to remedy the deficiencies noted within a period of two months. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the application as inadmissible. The decision on inadmissibility shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

1.   If an admissible application for the protection of a designation of origin or geographical indication does not meet the requirements laid down in Articles 34 and 35 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the Commission shall inform the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question of the grounds for refusal, setting a deadline for the withdrawal or amendment of the application or for the submission of comments.

2.   If the obstacles to registration are not remedied by the Member State or third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question within the deadline, the Commission shall reject the application in accordance with Article 39(3) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

3.   Any decision to reject the designation of origin or geographical indication concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the documents and information available to it. Such decision on rejection shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

1.   Objections referred to in Article 40 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be drawn up on the basis of the form set out in Annex III to this Regulation. The objection shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of the objection to the Commission shall be the date on which the objection is entered in the Commission's mail registry. This date is made available to the public by appropriate means.

2.   The Commission shall mark the documents making up the objection with the date of receipt and the file number allocated to the objection.

The objector shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt indicating at least the following:

1.   For the purposes of determining whether an objection is admissible, in accordance with Article 40 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the Commission shall verify that the objection mentions the prior right(s) claimed and the ground(s) for the objection and was received by the Commission within the deadline.

2.   If the objection is based on the existence of an earlier trademark of reputation and renown, in accordance with Article 43(2) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the objection shall be accompanied by proof of the filing, registration or use of that earlier trademark, such as the certificate of registration or proof of its use, and proof of its reputation and renown.

3.   Any duly substantiated objection shall contain details of the facts, evidence and comments submitted in support of the objection, accompanied by the relevant supporting documents.

The information and evidence to be produced in support of the use of an earlier trademark shall comprise particulars of the location, duration, extent and nature of the use made of the earlier trademark, and of its reputation and renown.

4.   If the details of the prior right(s) claimed, ground(s), facts, evidence or comments, or the supporting documents, as referred to in paragraphs 1 to 3, have not been produced at the same time as the objection or if some are missing, the Commission shall inform the opponent accordingly and shall invite him to remedy the deficiencies noted within a period of two months. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the objection as inadmissible. The decision on inadmissibility shall be notified to the objector and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

5.   An objection that is deemed admissible shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

1.   If the Commission has not rejected the objection in accordance with Article 15(4), it shall communicate the objection to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question and shall invite him to file observations within two months from the issuance date of such communication. Any observations received within this two months period shall be communicated to the objector.

In the course of the scrutiny of an objection, the Commission shall request the parties to submit comments, if appropriate, within a period of two months from the issuance date of such request, on the communications received from the other parties.

2.   If the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question or the objector files no observations in response, or does not respect the time periods, the Commission gives a ruling on the opposition.

3.   Any decision to reject or register the designation of origin or geographical indication concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the evidence available to it. The decision on rejection shall be notified to the objector and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

4.   In the event of multiple objectors, following a preliminary examination of one or more such objections, it may not be possible to accept the application for registration; in such cases, the Commission may suspend the other objection procedures. The Commission shall inform the other objectors of any decision affecting them which was taken in the course of the procedure.

Where an application is rejected, objection procedures which have been suspended shall be deemed to be closed and the objectors concerned shall be duly informed.

1.   Unless applications for protection of designations of origin or geographical indications are rejected pursuant to Articles 11, 12, 16 and 28, the Commission shall decide to protect the designations of origin or geographical indications.

2.   Decisions on protection taken pursuant to Article 41 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

1.   The Commission shall maintain the ‘Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications’ as provided for in Article 46 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Register’.

2.   A designation of origin or geographical indication which has been accepted shall be entered in the Register.

In the case of names registered under Article 51(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the Commission shall enter in the Register the data provided for in paragraph 3 of this Article, with the exception of that of point (f).

3.   The Commission shall enter the following data in the Register:

1.   Protection of a designation of origin or geographical indication shall run from the date on which it is entered in the Register.

2.   In the event of unlawful use of a protected designation of origin or geographical indication, the competent authorities of the Member States shall on their own initiative, pursuant to Article 45(4) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, or at the request of a party, take the steps necessary to stop such unlawful use and to prevent any marketing or export of the products at issue.

3.   The protection of a designation of origin or geographical indication shall apply to the whole denomination including its constitutive elements provided they are distinctive in themselves. A non-distinctive or generic element of a protected designation of origin or geographical indication shall not be protected.

1.   An application for approval of amendments to the product specification submitted by an applicant as referred to in Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 of a protected designation of origin or geographical indication shall be drawn up in accordance with Annex IV to this Regulation.

2.   For the purposes of determining whether an application for the approval of amendments to the product specification pursuant to Article 49(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 is admissible, the Commission shall verify that it has been sent the information required under Article 35(2) of that Regulation and a completed application as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

3.   For the purposes of the application of Article 49(2), first sentence, of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, Articles 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of this Regulation shall apply mutandis mutadis.

4.   An amendment is considered to be minor if:

5.   Where the application for approval of amendments to the product specification is submitted by an applicant other than the initial applicant, the commission shall communicate the application to the initial applicant.

6.   Where the Commission decides to accept an amendment to the product specification that affects or comprises an amendment to the information recorded in the Register, it shall delete the original data from the Register and enter the new data with effect from the date on which the relevant decision takes effect.

1.   A request of cancellation pursuant to Article 50 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be drawn up in accordance with the form set out in Annex V to this Regulation. The request of cancellation shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of the request of cancellation to the Commission shall be the date on which the request is entered in the Commission's mail registry. That date is made available to the public by appropriate means.

2.   The Commission shall mark the documents making up the request for cancellation with the date of receipt and the file number allocated to the request of cancellation.

The author of the request of cancellation shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt indicating at least:

3.   Paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply when the cancellation is initiated by the Commission.

1.   For the purposes of determining whether a request of cancellation is admissible, in accordance with Article 50 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the Commission shall verify that the request:

2.   Any request for cancellation shall contain details of the facts, evidence and comments submitted in support of the cancellation, accompanied by the relevant supporting documents.

3.   If detailed information concerning the grounds, facts, evidence and comments, as well as the supporting documents referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, have not been produced at the same time as the request of cancellation, the Commission shall inform the author of the request of cancellation accordingly and shall invite him to remedy the deficiencies noted within a period of two months. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the request as inadmissible. The decision on inadmissibility shall be notified to the author of the request of cancellation and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the author of the request of cancellation established in the third country in question.

4.   Any request of cancellation that is deemed admissible, as well as a Commission own-initiative cancellation procedure, shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicants established in the third country whose designation of origin or geographical indication is affected by the cancellation.

1.   If the Commission has not rejected the request of cancellation in accordance with Article 22(3), it shall communicate the cancellation to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the producers concerned established in the third country in question and shall invite him to file observations within two months from the issuance date of such communication. Any observations received within this two months period shall be communicated, where applicable, to the author of the request of cancellation.

In the course of the scrutiny of a cancellation, the Commission shall request the parties to submit comments, if appropriate, within a period of two months from the issuance date of such request, on the communications received from the other parties.

2.   If the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question or the author of a request of cancellation files no observations in response, or does not respect the time periods, the Commission decides upon the cancellation.

3.   Any decision to cancel the designation of origin or geographical indication concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the evidence available to it. It shall consider whether compliance with the product specification for a wine sector product covered by a protected designation of origin or geographical indication is no longer possible or can no longer be guaranteed, particularly if the conditions laid down in Article 35 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 are no longer fulfilled or may no longer be fulfilled in the near future.

Such decision on cancellation shall be notified to the author of the request of cancellation and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

4.   In the event of multiple requests of cancellation, following a preliminary examination of one or more such requests of cancellation, it may not be possible to accept to continue to protect a designation or origin or geographical indication, in which case the Commission may suspend the other cancellation procedures. In this case the Commission shall inform the other authors of the requests of cancellation of any decision affecting them which was taken in the course of the procedure.

Where a protected designation of origin or geographical indication is cancelled, cancellation procedures which have been suspended shall be deemed to be closed and the authors of the request of cancellation concerned shall be duly informed.

5.   When a cancellation takes effect, the Commission shall delete the name from the Register.

1.   The annual verification carried out by the competent control authority as referred to in Article 48(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall consist of:

The annual verification shall be conducted in the Member State in which production took place in accordance with the product specification and shall be carried out either through:

In the case of random checks, Member States shall select the minimum number of operators to be subjected to those checks.

In the case of sampling, Member States shall ensure that by their number, nature and frequency of controls, they are representative of the whole of the demarcated geographical area concerned and correspond to the volume of wine-sector products marketed or held with a view to their marketing.

Random checks may be combined with sampling.

2.   The testing referred to in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, points (a) and (b) shall be performed on anonymous samples, demonstrate that the product tested complies with the characteristics and qualities described in the product specification for the relevant designation of origin or geographical indication, and be carried out at any stage in the production process, including even the packaging stage, or later. Each sample taken shall be representative of the relevant wines held by the operator.

3.   For the purposes of checking compliance with the product specification referred to in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, point (c), the control authority shall check:

4.   The annual verification shall ensure that a product cannot use the protected designation of origin or geographical indication relating to it unless:

5.   Any product failing to meet the conditions set out in this Article may be placed on the market, but without the relevant designation of origin or geographical indication, provided that the other legal requirements are satisfied.

6.   In the case of a protected trans-border designation of origin or geographical indication, the verification may be performed by a control authority of either of the Member States affected by this designation of origin or geographical indication.

7.   In the case where annual verification is carried out at the packaging stage of the product in the territory of a Member State which is not the Member State where the production took place, Article 84 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 555/2008 (11) applies.

8.   Paragraphs 1 to 7 apply to wines bearing a designation of origin or a geographical indication, whose designation of origin or geographical indication concerned meet the requirements as referred to in Article 38(5) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

1.   A Member State or third country authority or the applicant established in the third country in question may request the conversion of a protected designation of origin into a protected geographical indication if the compliance with the product specification of a protected designation of origin is no longer possible or can no longer be guaranteed.

The request for conversion submitted to the Commission shall be drawn up in accordance with the model set out in Annex VI to this Regulation. The request for conversion shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of the request for conversion to the Commission is the date on which the request is entered in the Commission's mail registry.

2.   If the request for conversion into a geographical indication does not meet the requirements laid down in Articles 34 and 35 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the Commission shall inform the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question of the grounds for refusal, and shall invite him to withdrew or amend the request or submit comments within a period of two months.

3.   If the obstacles to the conversion into a geographical indication are not remedied by the Member State or third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the request.

4.   Any decision to reject the conversion request shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the documents and information available to it. Such decision on rejection shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question.

5.   Articles 40 and 49(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall not apply.

1.   Competent authorities of Member States or third countries or representative professional organisations established in third countries may submit to the Commission an application for protection of traditional terms within the meaning of Article 54(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

2.   ‘Representative professional organisation’ shall mean any producer organisation or association of producer organisations having adopted the same rules, operating in a given or more wine designation of origin or geographical indication area(s) where it includes in its membership at least two thirds of the producers in the designation of origin or geographical indication area(s) in which it operates and accounts for at least two thirds of that areas’ production. A representative professional organisation may lodge an application for protection only for wines which it produces.

1.   The application for protection of a traditional term shall conform to the model set out in Annex VII and shall be accompanied by a copy of the rules regulating the use of the term concerned.

2.   In case of an application filed by a representative professional organisation established in a third country, the details of the representative professional organisation shall also be communicated. This information, including relevant details of members of the representative professional organisation, as appropriate, is listed in Annex XI.

1.   The term to be protected shall be either:

The term used in a certain language shall refer to specific products referred to in Article 33(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

2.   The term shall be registered with its original spelling(s).

1.   Article 54(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 applies mutatis mutandis to terms traditionally used in third countries in connection with wine sector products with geographical indications of the third countries concerned.

2.   Wines originating in third countries whose labels bear traditional indications other than the traditional terms listed in Annex XII, may use these traditional indications on wine labels in accordance with the rules applicable in the third countries concerned, including those emanating from representative professional organisations.

1.   The recognition of a traditional term shall be accepted if:

2.   For the purpose of paragraph (1), point (b), traditional use means:

3.   For the purpose of paragraph (1), point (c)(i), ‘generic’ means the name of a traditional term although it relates to a specific production method or ageing method, or the quality, colour, type of place, or a particular linked to the history of a grapevine product, has become the common name of the grapevine product in question in the Community.

4.   The condition listed in paragraph 1(b) of this Article does not apply to traditional terms referred to in Article 54(1)(a) to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

1.   If an application for a traditional term does not meet the definition laid down in Article 54(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 and the requirements laid down in Articles 31 and 35, the Commission shall inform the applicant of the grounds for refusal, setting a deadline of two months from the issuance date of such communication, for the withdrawal or amendment of the application or for the submission of comments.

The Commission shall decide on the protection based on the information available to it.

2.   If the obstacles are not remedied by the applicant within the deadline referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission shall reject the application. Any decision to reject the traditional term concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the documents and information available to it. Such decision on rejection shall be notified to the applicant.

1.   Within two months from the date of publication provided for in the first sub-paragraph of Article 33, any Member State or third country, or any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest may object to the proposed recognition by lodging a request of objection.

2.   The request of objection shall be drawn up on the basis of the form set out in Annex VIII and shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of the request of objection to the Commission is the date on which the request is entered in the Commission's mail registry.

3.   The Commission shall mark the documents making up the request of objection with the date of receipt and the file number allocated to the request of objection.

The objector shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt indicating at least the following:

1.   For the purposes of determining whether an objection is admissible, the Commission shall verify that the request of objection mentions the prior right(s) claimed and the ground(s) for the objection and was received by the Commission within the deadline provided for in the first paragraph of Article 37.

2.   If the objection is based on the existence of an earlier trademark of reputation and renown, in accordance with Article 41(2), the request of objection shall be accompanied by proof of the filing, registration or use of that earlier trademark, such as the certificate of registration and proof of its reputation and renown.

3.   Any duly substantiated request of objection shall contain details of the facts, evidence and comments submitted in support of the objection, accompanied by the relevant supporting documents.

The information and evidence to be produced in support of the use of an earlier trademark shall comprise particulars of the location, duration, extent and nature of the use made of the earlier trademark, and of its reputation and renown.

4.   If the details of the prior right(s) claimed, ground(s), facts, evidence or comments, or the supporting documents, as referred to in paragraphs 1 to 3, have not been produced at the same time as the request of objection or if some are missing, the Commission shall inform the opponent accordingly and shall invite him to remedy the deficiencies noted within a period of two months. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the request as inadmissible. The decision on inadmissibility shall be notified to the objector and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the representative professional organisation established in the third country in question.

5.   Any request of objection that is deemed admissible shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the representative professional organisation in the third country in question.

1.   If the Commission has not rejected the request of opposition in accordance with Article 38(4), it shall communicate the objection to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the representative professional organisation established in the third country in question and shall invite him to file observations within two months from the issuance date of such communication. Any observations received within this two months period shall be communicated to the objector.

In the course of its scrutiny of an objection, the Commission shall request the parties to submit comments, if appropriate, within a period of two months from the issuance date of such request, on the communications received from the other parties.

2.   If the Member State or the third-country authorities or the representative professional organisation established in the third country in question or the objector files no observations in response, or does not respect the time periods, the Commission gives ruling on the opposition.

3.   Any decision to reject or recognise the traditional term concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the evidence available to it. It shall consider whether the conditions referred to in Article 40(1), or laid down in Articles 41(3) or 42 are not fulfilled. The decision on rejection shall be notified to the objector and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the representative professional organisation established in the third country in question.

4.   In the event of multiple requests of objection, following a preliminary examination of one or more such requests of objection, it may not be possible to accept the application for recognition; in such cases, the Commission may suspend the other objection procedures. The Commission shall inform the other objectors of any decision affecting them which was taken in the course of the procedure.

Where an application is rejected, objection procedures which have been suspended shall be deemed to be closed and the objectors concerned shall be duly informed.

1.   If an application satisfies the conditions laid down in Article 54(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 and in Articles 31 and 35 and is not rejected under Articles 38 and 39, the traditional term shall be listed in Annex XII to this Regulation.

2.   The traditional terms listed in Annex XII, are protected only in the language and for the categories of grapevine products claimed in the application, against:

1.   Where a traditional term is protected under this Regulation, the registration of a trademark, which corresponds to one of the situations referred to in Article 40, shall be refused if the application for registration of the trademark does not concern wines qualified to use such a traditional term and is submitted after the date of submission of the application for protection of the traditional term to the Commission and the traditional term is subsequently protected.

Trademarks registered in breach of the first subparagraph shall be declared invalid on application in accordance with the applicable procedures as specified by Directive 2008/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (12) or Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 (13).

2.   A trademark, which corresponds to one of the situations referred to in Article 40 of this Regulation, and which has been applied for, registered or established by use, if that possibility is provided for by the legislation concerned, in the territory of the Community before 4 May 2002 or before the date of submission of the application for protection of the traditional term to the Commission, may continue to be used and renewed notwithstanding the protection of the traditional term.

In such cases the use of the traditional term shall be permitted alongside the relevant trademark.

3.   A name shall not be protected as a traditional term, where in the light of a trademark's reputation and renown, such protection is liable to mislead the consumer as to the true identity, nature, characteristic or quality of the wine.

1.   A term, for which an application is lodged, wholly or partially homonymous with that of a traditional term already protected under this Chapter shall be protected with due regard for local and traditional usage and the risk of confusion.

A homonymous term which misleads consumers as to the nature, quality or the true origin of the products shall not be registered even if the term is accurate.

The use of a protected homonymous term shall be subject to there being a sufficient distinction in practice between the homonym protected subsequently and the traditional term already listed in Annex XII, having regard to the need to treat the producers concerned in an equitable manner and not to mislead the consumer.

2.   Paragraph 1 shall apply mutatis mutandis for traditional terms protected before 1 August 2009, which are partially homonymous with a protected designation of origin or geographical indication or a wine grape variety name or its synonym listed in Annex XV.

1.   A duly substantiated request of cancellation may be filed with the Commission by a Member State, a third country or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest in accordance with the form set out in Annex IX. The request of cancellation shall be submitted to the Commission in paper or electronic form. The date of submission of the request of cancellation to the Commission is the date on which the request is entered in the Commission's mail registry. This date shall be made available to the public by appropriate means.

2.   The Commission shall mark the documents making up the request for cancellation with the date of receipt and the file number allocated to the request of cancellation.

The author of the request of cancellation shall receive an acknowledgement of receipt indicating at least:

3.   Paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply when the cancellation is initiated by the Commission.

1.   For the purposes of determining whether a request of cancellation is admissible, the Commission shall verify that the request:

2.   Any request for cancellation shall contain details of the facts, evidence and comments submitted in support of the cancellation, accompanied by the relevant supporting documents.

3.   If detailed information concerning the grounds, facts, evidence and comments, as well as the supporting documents referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, have not been produced at the same time as the request of cancellation, the Commission shall inform the author of the request of cancellation accordingly and shall invite him to remedy the deficiencies noted within a period of two months. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the time limit expires, the Commission shall reject the request as inadmissible. The decision on inadmissibility shall be notified to the author of the request of cancellation and to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the author of the request of cancellation established in the third country in question.

4.   Any request of cancellation that is deemed admissible, including Commission own-initiative cancellation procedure, shall be notified to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the author of the request of cancellation established in the third country whose traditional term is affected by the cancellation.

1.   If the Commission has not rejected the request of cancellation in accordance with Article 46(3), it shall communicate the request of cancellation to the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question and shall invite him to file observations within two months from the issuance date of such communication. Any observations received within this two months period shall be communicated to the author of the request of cancellation.

In the course of the scrutiny of a cancellation, the Commission shall request the parties to submit comments, if appropriate, within a period of two months from the issuance date of such request, on the communications received from the other parties.

2.   If the Member State or the third-country authorities or the applicant established in the third country in question or the author of a request of cancellation files no observations in response, or does not respect the time periods, the Commission gives ruling on the cancellation.

3.   Any decision to cancel the traditional term concerned shall be taken by the Commission on the basis of the evidence available to it. It shall consider whether the conditions referred to in Article 44 are no longer fulfilled.

Such decision on cancellation shall be notified to the author of the request of cancellation and to the Member State or the third-country authorities in question.

4.   In the event of multiple requests of cancellation, following a preliminary examination of one or more such requests of cancellation, it may not be possible to accept to continue to protect a traditional term, in which case the Commission may suspend the other cancellation procedures. In this case the Commission shall inform the other authors of the request of cancellation of any decision affecting them which was taken in the course of the procedure.

Where a traditional term is cancelled, cancellation procedures which have been suspended shall be deemed to be closed and the authors of the request of cancellation concerned shall be duly informed.

5.   When a cancellation takes effect, the Commission shall remove the name concerned from the list set out in Annex XII.

1.   Compulsory particulars referred to in Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as well as those listed in Article 59 thereof shall appear in the same field of vision on the container, in such a way as to be simultaneously readable without having to turn the container.

However, the compulsory particulars of the lot number and those referred to in Articles 51 and 56(4) of this Regulation may appear outside the visual field in which the other compulsory particulars appear.

2.   The compulsory particulars referred to in paragraph 1 and those applicable by virtue of the legal instruments mentioned in Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be presented in indelible characters and shall be clearly distinguishable from surrounding text or graphics.

1.   Where one or more of the ingredients listed in Annex IIIa to Directive 2000/13/EC are present in one of the products referred to in Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, they must be indicated on the labelling, preceded by the term ‘contains’. For sulphites, the following terms may be used: ‘sulphites’, ‘sulfites’, ‘sulphur dioxide’ or ‘sulfur dioxide’.

2.   The labelling obligation referred to in paragraph 1 may be accompanied by the use of the pictogram included in Annex X to this Regulation.

1.   Products whose label or presentation does not conform to the corresponding conditions as laid down in this Regulation cannot be marketed in the Community or exported.

2.   By way of derogation from Chapters V and VI of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, where the products concerned are to be exported, Member States may allow that particulars, which conflict with labelling rules as provided for by Community legislation, appear on the label of wines for export, when they are required by the legislation of the third country concerned. These particulars may appear in languages other than the official Community languages.

1.   The actual alcoholic strength by volume referred to in Article 59(1)(c) to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be indicated in percentage units or half units.

The figure shall be followed by ‘% vol ’ and may be preceded by ‘ actual alcoholic strength ’, ‘ actual alcohol ’ or ‘ alc ’.

Without prejudice to the tolerances set for the reference analysis method used, the strength shown may not differ by more than 0,5 % vol from that given by analysis. However, the alcoholic strength of products with protected designations of origin or geographical indications stored in bottles for more than three years, sparkling wines, quality sparkling wines, aerated sparkling wines, semi-sparkling wines, aerated semi-sparkling wines, liqueur wines and wines of overripe grapes, without prejudice to the tolerances set for the reference analysis method used, may not differ by more than 0,8 % vol from that given by analysis.

2.   The actual alcoholic strength shall appear on the label in characters at least 5 mm high if the nominal volume is over 100 cl, at least 3 mm high if it is equal to or less than 100 cl but more than 20 cl and 2 mm high if it is 20 cl or less.

1.   The indication of provenance as referred to in Article 59(1)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, shall be indicated as follows:

This paragraph is without prejudice to Articles 56 and 67.

2.   The indication of provenance as referred to in Article 59(1)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, on labels of grape must, grape must in fermentation, concentrated grape must or new wine still in fermentation shall be indicated as follows:

3.   In the case of United Kingdom, the name of the Member State may be replaced by the name of an individual country forming part of United Kingdom.

1.   For the purposes of the application of Article 59(1)(e) and (f) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 and of this Article:

2.   The name and address of the bottler shall be supplemented either,

In case of contract bottling, the indication of the bottler shall be supplemented by the words ‘ bottled for (…)’ or, where the name, address of the person who has carried out the bottling on behalf of a third party are indicated, by the words ‘ bottled for (…) by (…)’.

Where bottling takes place in another place than that of the bottler, the particulars referred to in this paragraph shall be accompanied by a reference to the exact place where the operation took place and, if it is carried out in another Member State, the name of that State.

In case of containers other than bottles, the words ‘ packager ’ and ‘ packaged by (…)’ shall replace the words ‘ bottler ’ and ‘ bottled by (…)’ respectively, except when the language used does not indicate by itself such a difference.

3.   The name and address of the producer or vendor shall be supplemented by the words ‘producer’ or ‘produced by’ and ‘vendor’ or ‘sold by’, or equivalent. Member States may make compulsory the indication of the producer.

4.   The name and address of the importer shall be preceded by the words ‘importer’ or ‘imported by (…)’.

5.   The indications referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 can be grouped together, if they concern the same natural or legal person.

One of these indications may be replaced by a code determined by the Member State in which the bottler, producer, importer or vendor has its head office. The code shall be supplemented by a reference to the Member State in question. The name and address of another natural or legal person involved in the commercial distribution other than the bottler, producer, importer or vendor indicated by a code shall also appear on the wine label of the product concerned.

6.   Where the name or the address of the bottler, producer, importer or vendor consists of or contains a protected designation of origin or geographical indication, it shall appear on the label:

Member States may decide which option applies to products produced in their territories.

1.   The terms referring to a holding listed in Annex XIII, other than the indication of the name of the bottler, producer or vendor, shall be reserved for wines with protected designation of origin or geographical indication provided that:

2.   The name of a holding may be used by other operators involved in the marketing of the product only where the holding in question agrees to that use.

1.   The terms listed in Part A of Annex XIV to this Regulation indicating the sugar content shall appear on the label of the products provided for in Article 59(1)(g) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

2.   If the sugar content of the products, expressed in terms of fructose and glucose (including any sucrose), justifies the use of two of the terms listed in Part A of Annex XIV, only one of those two terms shall be chosen.

3.   Without prejudice to the conditions of use described in Part A of Annex XIV, the sugar content may not differ by more than 3 grams per litre from what appears on the product label.

1.   The terms ‘ aerated sparkling wine ’ and ‘ aerated semi-sparkling wine ’ as referred to in Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall be supplemented in characters of the same type and size by the words ‘ obtained by adding carbon dioxide ’ or ‘ obtained by adding carbon anhydride ’, except when the language used indicates by itself that carbon dioxide has been added.

The words ‘ obtained by adding carbon dioxide ’ or ‘ obtained by adding carbon anhydride ’ shall be indicated even where Article 59(2) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 applies.

2.   For quality sparkling wines, the reference to the category of the grapevine product may be omitted for wines whose labels include the term ‘Sekt’.

1.   The vintage year referred to in Article 60(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 may appear on the labels of products as referred to in Article 49 provided that at least 85 % of the grapes used to make the products have been harvested in the year in question. This does not include:

2.   For products traditionally obtained from grapes harvested in January or February, the vintage year to appear on the label of wines shall be that of the previous calendar year.

3.   Products without protected designation of origin or geographical indication shall also comply with the requirements laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article and in Article 63.

1.   The names of the wine grape varieties or their synonyms referred to in Article 60(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 used for the production of products as referred to in Article 49 of this Regulation may appear on the labels of the products concerned under the conditions laid down in points (a) and (b) of this Article.

2.   In the case of sparkling wines and quality sparkling wines, the wine grape variety names used to supplement the description of the product, namely, ‘pinot blanc’, ‘pinot noir’, ‘pinot meunier’ or ‘pinot gris’ and the equivalent names in the other Community languages, may be replaced by the synonym ‘pinot’.

3.   By way of derogation from Article 42(3) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, the wine grape variety names and their synonyms listed in Part A of Annex XV to this Regulation, that consist of or contain a protected designation of origin or geographical indication may only appear on the label of a product with protected designation of origin or geographical indication or geographical indication of a third country if they were authorised under Community rules in force on 11 May 2002 or on the date of accession of Member States, whichever is later.

4.   The wine grape variety names and their synonyms listed in Part B of Annex XV to this Regulation, that partially contain a protected designation of origin or geographical indication and directly refers to the geographical element of the protected designation of origin or geographical indication in question, may only appear on the label of a product with protected designation of origin or geographical indication or geographical indication of a third country.

1.   Member States shall designate the competent authority or authorities responsible for ensuring certification as provided for in Article 60(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, in accordance with the criteria laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (15).

2.   Certification of wine, at any stage of the production, including during the conditioning of the wine, shall be ensured either by:

The authority or authorities referred to in paragraph 1 shall offer adequate guarantees of objectivity and impartiality, and have at their disposal the qualified staff and resources needed to carry out their tasks.

The certification bodies referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph shall comply with, and from 1 May 2010 be accredited in accordance with, the European standard EN 45011 or ISO/IEC Guide 65 (General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems).

The costs of the certification shall be borne by the operators subject to it.

3.   The Certification procedure as provided for in Article 60(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 shall ensure administrative evidence to support the veracity of the wine grape variety(-ies) or the vintage year shown on the label of the wine(s) concerned.

In addition, producing Member States may decide on:

The certification procedure shall be carried out by competent authority(-ies) or control body(-ies) as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 in the Member State in which production took place.

The certification shall be carried out either through:

In the case of random checks, they shall be based on a control plan pre-established by the authority(-ies) covering different stages of production of the product. The control plan shall be known by the operators. Member States shall select randomly the minimum number of operators to be subjected to this check.

In the case of sampling, Member States shall ensure that by their number, nature and frequency controls, they are representative of the whole of their territory and correspond to the volume of wine-sector products marketed or held with a view to their marketing.

Random checks may be combined with sampling.

4.   As regards Article 60(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, producing Member States shall ensure that producers of the wines in question are approved by the Member State where the production takes place.

5.   As regards control, including traceability, producing Member States shall ensure that Title V of Regulation (EC) No 555/2008 and Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 apply.

6.   In case of a trans-border wine as referred to in Article 60(2)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, certification can be carried out by either one of the authority(-ies) of the Member States concerned.

7.   For wines produced in accordance with Article 60(2) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, Member States may decide to use the terms ‘ varietal wine ’ supplemented by the name(s) of:

For wines without protected designation of origin, protected geographical indication or geographical indication produced in third countries which bear on labels the name of one or more wine grape varieties or the vintage year, third countries may decide to use the terms ‘ varietal wine ’ supplemented by the name(s) of the third country(ies) concerned.

In the case of the indication of the name(s) of the Member State(s) or third country(ies), Article 55 of this Regulation shall not apply.

8.   Paragraphs 1 to 6 shall apply for products produced from grapes harvested as from and including 2009.

1.   Save as otherwise provided for in Article 58 of this Regulation, the sugar content expressed as fructose and glucose as provided for in Part B of Annex XIV to this Regulation, may appear on the label of the products as referred to in Article 60(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008.

2.   If the sugar content of the products justifies the use of two of the terms listed in Part B of Annex XIV to this Regulation, only one of those two terms shall be chosen.

3.   Without prejudice to the conditions of use described in Part B of Annex XIV to this Regulation, the sugar content may not differ by more than 1 gram per litre from what appears on the product label.

4.   Paragraph 1 shall not apply for products referred to in paragraphs 3, 8 and 9 of Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 provided that Member States or third countries regulate the conditions of use of the indication of the sugar content.

1.   The Community symbols referred to in Article 60(1)(e) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 may appear on labels of wines as laid down in Annex V to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 (16). Notwithstanding Article 59, the indications ‘PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN’ and ‘PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION’ within the symbols may be replaced by the equivalent terms in another official language of the Community as laid down in the aforesaid Annex.

2.   Where the Community symbols or the indications referred to in Article 60(1)(e) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 appear on the label of a product, they shall be accompanied by the corresponding protected designation of origin or geographical indication.

1.   In Accordance with Article 60(1)(f) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008, wines marketed in the Community may bear indications referring to certain production methods, among others, those which are laid down in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this Article.

2.   The indications listed in Annex XVI are the only terms which may be used to describe a wine with protected designations of origin or geographical indications or with a geographical indication of a third country that has been fermented, matured or aged in a wood container. Member States and third countries may, however, establish other indications equivalent to those laid down in Annex XVI for such wines.

Use of one of the indications referred to in the first subparagraph shall be permitted where the wine has been aged in a wood container in accordance with the national rules in force, even when the ageing process continues in another type of container.

The indications referred to in the first subparagraph may not be used to describe a wine that has been produced with the aid of oak chips, even in association with the use of a wood container or wood containers.

3.   The expression ‘ bottle-fermented ’ may be used only to describe sparkling wines with protected designations of origin or geographical indication of a third country or quality sparkling wines provided that:

4.   The expressions ‘ bottle-fermented by the traditional method ’ or ‘ traditional method ’ or ‘ classical method ’ or ‘ classical traditional method ’ may be used only to describe sparkling wines with protected designations of origin or with a geographical indication of a third country or quality sparkling wines provided the product:

5.   The expression ‘ Crémant ’ may only be used for white or ‘ rosé ’ quality sparkling wines with protected designations of origin or with a geographical indication of a third country provided:

Points (a) and (f) does not apply to producers who own trademarks containing the term ‘ crémant ’ registered before 1 March 1986.

6.   References to the organic production of grapes are governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (17).

1.   As regards Article 60(1)(g) to Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 and without prejudice to Articles 55 and 56 of this Regulation, the name of a geographical unit and geographical area references may only appear on labels of wines with protected designation of origin or geographical indication or with a geographical indication of a third country.

2.   For the use of the name of a smaller geographical unit than the area underlying the designation of origin or geographical indication the area of the geographical unit in question shall be well defined. Member States may establish rules concerning the use of these geographical units. At least 85 % of the grapes from which the wine has been produced originate in that smaller geographical unit. The remaining 15 % of the grapes shall originate in the geographical demarcated area of the designation of origin or geographical indication concerned.

Member States may decide, in the case of registered trademarks or trademarks established by use before 11 May 2002 which contain or consist of a name of a smaller geographical unit than the area underlying the designation of origin or geographical indication and geographical area references of the Member States concerned, not to apply the requirements laid down in the third and fourthsentences of the first subparagraph.

3.   The name of a smaller or larger geographical unit than the area underlying the designation of origin or geographical indication or a geographical area references shall consist of:

1.   Only sparkling wine, quality sparkling wine and quality aromatic sparkling wine shall be marketed or exported in ‘ sparkling wine ’-type glass bottles closed with:

2.   Member States may decide that the requirement laid down in paragraph 1 applies to:

1.   For wines with protected designation of origin or geographical indication produced on their territory, the particulars referred to in Articles 61, 62 and 64 to 67 may be rendered compulsory, prohibited or limited as regards their use by introducing conditions stricter than those laid down in this Chapter through the corresponding product specifications of those wines.

2.   As regards wines without protected designation of origin or geographical indication produced on their territory, Member States may render compulsory the particulars referred to in Articles 64 and 66.

3.   For control purposes, Member States may decide to define and regulate other particulars than those listed in Articles 59(1) and 60(1) of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 for wines produced in their territories.

4.   For control purposes, Member States may decide to render applicable Article 58, 59 and 60 of Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 for wines bottled in their territories but not marketed or exported yet.