Council Regulation (EEC) No 2389/89 of 24 July 1989 on general rules for the classification of vine varieties

• Published date: 09 August 1989
• Subject Matter: Wine
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Communities, L 232, 9 August 1989

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Council Regulation (EEC) No 2389/89 of 24 July 1989 on general rules for the classification of vine varieties

Official Journal L 232 , 09/08/1989 P. 0001 - 0006
Finnish special edition: Chapter 3 Volume 30 P. 0051
Swedish special edition: Chapter 3 Volume 30 P. 0051

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2389/89 of 24 July 1989 on general rules for the classification of vine varieties

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 of 16 March 1987 on the common organization of the market in wine (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1236/89 (2), and in particular Article 13 (1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas, following a number of successive consolidations of the Community rules on wine, in the interests of clarity Council Regulation (EEC) No 347/79 of 5 February 1979 on general rules for the classification of vine varieties (3), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3805/85 (4), should be consolidated by amending the references contained therein;

Whereas Article 13 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 provides for the Council to adopt general rules for the classification of vine varieties approved for cultivation in the Community; whereas these rules must, in particular, provide a classification of such vine varieties, by administrative units or parts thereof, into recommended vine varieties, authorized vine varieties and temporarily authorized vine varieties;

Whereas such classification is particularly useful in directing Community wine growers towards high-quality production by guiding their choice of varieties to plant; whereas the classification of wine varieties according to the quality of wine produced promotes the planting of varieties which give wine recognized to be of good quality and for which market demand is steady or expanding; whereas in this way a classification of vine varieties helps in the long run to prevent structural surpluses on the wine market; whereas the methods for making use of the grapes harvested from varieties to be classified may be defined on the basis of the category of the product obtained therefrom, such as table

wine, quality wine produced in specified regions, including quality sparkling wine produced in specified regions, quality liqueur wine produced in specified regions and quality semi-sparkling wine produced in specified regions and sparkling wine, quality sparkling wine, liqueur wine, semi-sparkling wine, wine spirit, grape juice and dried grapes;

Whereas, in classifying the varieties of vine, a distinction should be made between the uses to which the grapes obtained from them are put; whereas, in classifying administrative units, account should be taken of any special production conditions;

Whereas, however, the fact that grapes of a vine variety can also be used for purposes other than those indicated in the classification of the vine variety from which they originate, and in particular that grapes of a table variety can be used for wine making, should not prevent that vine variety from being classified according to its main use;

Whereas identification of the vine varieties cultivated in the Community is essential for checking that Community and national provisions concerning the cultivation of vine varieties are complied with; whereas for that reason the classification may contain only those vine varieties of which the propagating material is accepted in at least one Member State, in accordance with Community provisions, for certification or control as standard propagating material;

Whereas, among the wine grape varieties cultivated at present in the Community for the production of wine intended for direct human consumption, the vine varieties derived from interspecific crossings have not given complete satisfaction; whereas, therefore, they should not be classified as being recommended; whereas it is not justifiable to exclude a priori from classification among the recommended varieties wine grape varieties which may be obtained from interspecific crossings after 19 July 1970 and which might be found to be satisfactory for cultivation; whereas, however, no distinction need be made with regard to stock origins if the varieties of wine grapes are to be classified as authorized or temporarily authorized;

Whereas, since table grapes may also be used for wine making, the classification should be extended to cover the

vine varieties which come within the common quality standards for table grapes laid down in Commission Regulation No 58 laying down common quality standards for certain products listed in Annex I B to Regulation No 23 on the progressive establishment of a common organization of the market in fruit and vegetables (5), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 920/89 (6); whereas the suitability of those varieties for their normal use is a determining factor in their classification;

Whereas, since different names are used to describe a single vine...