After years of negotiations between the member states, in February 2012 the SCOF (Standing Committee on Organic Farming) issued an EU regulation with precise rules for vineyards and, compared to the past, cellars for the production of organic wine. Until then, organic winegrowers could only state "wine from grapes from organic and ecological cultivation" on the label, as there were no production rules for the vinification of organic wines. However, this designation is now no longer permitted. Wines produced according to the new rules may now be called either "organic wine", "eco-wine", "bio-wine" or "wine from organic/organic cultivation". The production of organic wine is thus directly related to certified organic viticulture. Since 1993, the world's largest organic trade fair, Millésime Bio, has been held annually for alcoholic beverages from organic cultivation.
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The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena