The law

Label decoder

This label is invented: Domaine des Strates and the Appellation Example Protégée do not exist, and every value on it is illustrative. In the EU, Article 119 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 lists the compulsory particulars of a wine label, and Article 120 lists optional ones such as the vintage year and grape variety names.¹ The compulsory particulars must appear in the same field of vision, legible without turning the bottle, in characters at least 1.2 mm high; the importer, the lot number and, when the ingredient list is electronic, the allergens may appear elsewhere on the container.³ The list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration became compulsory from 8 December 2023, and wines produced and labelled before that date may be sold until stocks are exhausted.⁷ Select any element of the label to see what it is and which rule requires or allows it.

Invented label, for illustration only. Tap any part of the label.

compulsory in some cases

Product category

The designation of the category of grapevine product, such as wine, is a compulsory particular.¹ It may be omitted when the label carries the name of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, unless the wine has been de-alcoholised.¹ From 19 September 2027, when a wine has been wholly or partly de-alcoholised to no more than 0.5% vol, its category name must be supplemented by "alcohol-free", accompanied by "0,0 %" at 0.05% vol or less.²

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(a), 119(2)

compulsory in some cases

Protected designation of origin

A wine with a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication must show that term and the protected name.¹ The term may be left out when a traditional term indicating PDO or PGI status is displayed instead in accordance with the product specification.¹ The protected name appears in the language or languages in which it is protected.¹

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(b), 119(3), 112, 121(2)

compulsory

Actual alcoholic strength

The actual alcoholic strength by volume is compulsory.¹ It is given in whole or half percentage units followed by "% vol", optionally preceded by "actual alcoholic strength", "actual alcohol" or "alc".³ The stated figure may differ from analysis by no more than 0.5% vol, or 0.8% vol for sparkling, semi-sparkling and liqueur wines, wines of overripe grapes and PDO or PGI wines kept in bottle for more than three years.³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(c); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 44

compulsory

Nominal volume

Wine labelling is also subject to the general food information rules of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, which make the net quantity mandatory.¹^,4 For liquids it is expressed in litres, centilitres or millilitres, in the same field of vision as the name of the food and the alcoholic strength.⁴ Between 100 ml and 1,500 ml, still wine may be sold only in eight nominal quantities, 750 ml among them.⁵

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 118; Reg. (EU) 1169/2011, Art. 9(1)(e), 13(5), 23; Dir. 2007/45/EC

compulsory

Indication of provenance

An indication of provenance is compulsory.¹ For wine it reads "wine of (…)", "produced in (…)", "product of (…)" or an equivalent, naming the country where the grapes were harvested and turned into wine.³ A blend of wines from several Member States is labelled "European Union wine" or "blend of wines from different countries of the European Union".³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(d); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 45

compulsory

Bottler

The bottler must be indicated; for sparkling wines the producer or vendor is named instead.¹ A bottler is a person established in the EU who bottles the wine, or has it bottled, in containers of no more than 60 litres, and the name is introduced by "bottler" or "bottled by (…)".³ The address consists of the local administrative area and the country of the premises or head office.³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(e); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 46

compulsory in some cases

Importer

Imported wines must name the importer, preceded by "importer" or "imported by (…)".¹^,3 This particular may stand outside the main field of vision.³ Our invented French wine is sold inside the EU, so the field stays empty.

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(f); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 40(2), 46(4)

compulsory in some cases

Allergens

Sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg per litre, expressed as total SO2, must be declared as a substance causing allergies or intolerances.⁴ For wine the English terms are "sulphites", "sulfites", "sulphur dioxide" or "sulfur dioxide"; terms for eggs and milk products are also set, and a pictogram may be added.³ Even when the ingredient list is electronic, the allergen must appear on the container as the word "contains" followed by the substance.¹

Reg. (EU) 1169/2011, Art. 9(1)(c), Annex II; Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 41, Annex I; Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(5)

compulsory

Lot number

A foodstuff may not be marketed without an indication of its lot, a batch of sales units produced or packaged under practically the same conditions.⁶ The lot is set by the producer, packager or first seller in the Union and is preceded by the letter "L" unless it is clearly distinguishable from other indications.⁶ On wine the lot number may appear outside the main field of vision.³

Dir. 2011/91/EU, Art. 1-3; Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 118; Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 40(2)(c)

compulsory

Energy value, ingredients and nutrition (QR code)

The nutrition declaration and the list of ingredients are compulsory for wines from 8 December 2023; until then EU food law exempted drinks above 1.2% vol from both.⁷^,4 The label itself may show only the energy value, using the symbol "E", with the full declaration and the ingredient list provided by electronic means identified on the package, drawn here as a QR code.¹ That electronic page may not collect or track user data or show the information alongside sales or marketing content.¹ From 19 September 2027 these two requirements will not apply to wine intended solely for export.²

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(h)-(i), 119(4)-(5); Reg. (EU) 2021/2117, Art. 5(8), 6

optional

Vintage year

The vintage year is an optional particular.¹ It may appear only if at least 85% of the grapes were harvested in that year, not counting products used for sweetening or as tirage or expedition liqueur.³ Where grapes are traditionally picked in January or February, the label shows the previous calendar year.³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 120(1)(a); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 49

optional

Grape variety

Naming grape varieties is optional.¹ A single named variety, here Pinot Noir, must account for at least 85% of the wine; if two or more are named, they must make up 100% and appear in descending order of proportion in characters of the same size.³ Names are taken from the Member State's classification of wine grape varieties or, for exempted Member States, from the OIV international list.³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 120(1)(b); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 50

compulsory in some cases

Sugar content term

For sparkling, aerated sparkling, quality sparkling and quality aromatic sparkling wine a sugar-content term is compulsory, with a tolerance of 3 g/l.¹^,3 For other wines it is optional: dry or sec up to 4 g/l (9 g/l with enough acidity), medium dry or demi-sec up to 12 g/l (18 g/l with enough acidity), medium or moelleux up to 45 g/l, and sweet or doux from 45 g/l, with a tolerance of 1 g/l.³ Our still red carries no such term.

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 119(1)(g), 120(1)(c); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 47, 52, Annex III

optional

Pregnancy warning

Neither Article 119 nor Article 120 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 lists a warning for pregnant women.¹ It comes from national law: in France, as the health ministry described in 2015, packaging of alcoholic drinks must carry a health message or a pictogram advising against drinking during pregnancy.⁸

Not in Reg. (EU) 1308/2013 Art. 119-120; national law (e.g. France)

optional

Optional terms and the word Domaine

Other optional particulars include the Union PDO or PGI symbol, traditional terms, terms for certain production methods and the name of a smaller or larger geographical unit.¹ Words such as Château, Clos or Domaine are holding terms, reserved for PDO or PGI wines made exclusively from grapes harvested in vineyards worked by that holding and vinified entirely on that holding.³ Terms for ageing in wood may not be used for wine made with the aid of oak chips.³

Reg. (EU) 1308/2013, Art. 120(1)(d)-(g); Reg. (EU) 2019/33, Art. 53-55, Annex VI

Sugar terms for sparkling wine

0102030405060g/l

Brut nature0–3 g/l³Only if no sugar was added after the secondary fermentation.

Extra brut0–6 g/l³

Brut0–12 g/l³

Extra dry12–17 g/l³

Sec17–32 g/l³

Demi-sec32–50 g/l³

Doux50+ g/l³More than 50 g/l.

Ranges overlap; where two terms fit, only one may be chosen, and the stated sugar content may differ from the actual one by no more than 3 g/l.³

Sugar terms for still wine

Dry / sec: ≤ 4 g/l · up to 9 g/l if total acidity (as tartaric acid) is not more than 2 g/l below the sugar content³
Medium dry / demi-sec: ≤ 12 g/l · up to 18 g/l if total acidity is not more than 10 g/l below the sugar content³
Medium / moelleux: ≤ 45 g/l³
Sweet / doux: ³

Sources

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products (consolidated text 08.12.2023), Articles 112, 118-122. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2023. level 1
Regulation (EU) 2026/471 amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) No 251/2014 and (EU) 2021/2115 (wine sector), Article 1(10) and Article 6. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2026. level 1
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text 08.12.2023), Articles 40-58 and Annexes I, III, VI. European Commission (EUR-Lex), 2023. level 1
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Articles 9, 13, 16, 23 and Annex II. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2011. level 1
Directive 2007/45/EC laying down rules on nominal quantities for prepacked products, Article 3 and Annex. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2007. level 1
Directive 2011/91/EU on indications or marks identifying the lot to which a foodstuff belongs. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2011. level 1
Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and others, Article 1(32), Article 5(8), Article 6. European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex), 2021. level 1
Question écrite n° 14177 (Mme Perol-Dumont) and ministerial answer, JO Sénat 15/10/2015, p. 2429. Sénat (France) / Ministère des affaires sociales, de la santé et des droits des femmes, 2015. level 1