C 195/6 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 10.6.2020 OTHER ACTS EUROPEAN COMMISSION Publication of a communication of approval of a standard amendment to the product specification for a name in the wine sector referred to in Article 17(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (2020/C 195/05) This communication is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1). COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT ‘Eger/Egri’ Reference number PDO-HU-A1328-AM04 Date of communication: 16.2.2020 DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT 1. Modification of the maximum total acidity from 6,0 g/l to 7,0 g/l for Classicus Bikavér, Classicus Siller, Classicus Red, Superior Bikavér, Superior Red, Grand Superior Bikavér and Grand Superior Red wines a) Product specification headings affected: — II. Description of the wines b) Single document section affected: — Description of the wine(s) c) justification: Due to the cool climate effects (mountain breeze-valley breeze) and the rich minerality and diversity of the soils in the demarcated area, wines made from blue grapes have a more complex acid structure and may, after ageing, have a very high acidity in addition to being velvety. This amendment allows for the preservation of the wines’ fruity character over a longer term. 2. Modification of the minimum actual alcoholic strength from 12,5 % vol to 12,0 % vol for all Superior and Grand superior wines except for Superior late-harvest wines a) Product specification headings affected: — II. Description of the wines b) Single document section affected: — Description of the wine(s) c) justification: The modification helps to guarantee the complexity of dry wines in particular, which have pronounced fruity notes due to their minimum residual sugar content. The high loss of alcohol during the period of ageing in small wooden barrels also justifies the possibility of classifying fashionable low-alcoholic-strength wines as Superior or Grand Superior, provided that they meet the relevant organoleptic criteria. This strengthens the ‘Egri’ (cool climate) character by preventing the wines from being ‘flat’. (1) OJ L 9, 11.1.2019, p. 2. 10.6.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 195/7 3. Exemption to the rule of mandatory ageing for six months in wooden Barrels of Classicus Bikavér wines made from the Blauburger, Kadarka, Kékoportó and Turán varieties a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: Since wines made from these four early-ripening grape varieties have little tannin, applying restrictive requirements to develop their character – with a view to maintaining fresh fruitiness in the longer term, as set out in the organoleptic description of Classicus Bikavér – does not stand to reason. 4. Modification of mandatory oenological practices in respect of ageing Superior Bikavér for 12 months in wooden barrels and in respect of the proportion of the Turán grape variety in Grand Superior Bikavér a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: This modification will standardise the regulation of Bikavér production at the two levels of classification. It will consequently be possible to choose the ageing period of the wines according to the quality of the grapes of the vintage year. As a result, the fundamental difference between Superior and Grand Superior wines will not be the degree of ageing, but rather, the two categories of wine will be distinguished to a greater extent on the basis of concentration and specific aroma (under the new regulation Grand Superior wines must be identified by the slope of origin and wines identified by the slope of origin must be Grand Superior wines). Also, the characteristics of the wines will become more homogeneous under standardised production, and consumers will be better able to distinguish between the three categories of Bikavér wines. 5. Removal of the requirement to use wooden barrels for the ageing period of six months for Grand Superior White and Csillag wines a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: For wines made from white grapes, ageing in wooden barrels is not required for every vintage. Dynamic, fresh fruity notes are important organoleptic components of Grand Superior White and Csillag wines. Removal of the requirement to use wooden barrels for ageing strengthens the ‘Egri’ character, and is in keeping with growing international trends. 6. Increasing the maximum proportion of the Kékfrankos variety in Bikavér wines to 65 % at all three classification levels a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: Kékfrankos is the most important coupage wine in Bikavér wines. Its characteristics are crucial to the blend. This modification allows for the production of Bikavér wines with a more uniform character at all three levels of classification in the demarcated area. This measure expressly strengthens the ‘Egri’ (cool climate) character. C 195/8 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 10.6.2020 7. Removal of the requirements concerning ageing in bottles and bottle-ageing periods at Superior and Grand Superior classification level a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: Wine quality is determined not only by the bottle-ageing period, but also by the grape variety, the quality of the grapes (average yield, must grade) and the cellar technology used. Winemakers must select the appropriate cellar technology with a view to ensuring the characteristics specified in the organoleptic description. Wine may be placed on the market only if the local wine evaluation committee has considered it to be organoleptically suitable for marketing. Due to vintage variation, it is unnecessary to influence the time of placing on the market by determining the bottle ageing period and the time of bottling. Wine consumers are in any case sensitive to the maturity of the wines, which producers are acutely aware of, so the date of placing on the market can be determined accordingly. 8. Modification of the quality of grape varieties listed at 12,08 % by volume (19° Hungarian must grade) at Classical level to 10,60 % by volume (17° Hungarian must grade) for Classicus Csillag wines a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices c) justification: The modification aims to ensure the fresh character of Classicus Csillag wines. This cannot be ensured in all vintages with the current minimum natural alcoholic strength of 12,08 % vol (19° MM). That requires the preservation of the acids in the grapes, which only an early harvest can guarantee in warmer years. The amendment will shorten the selective storage of the base wines constituting this wine type and reduce associated administrative burdens for wineries. 9. Addition of the possibility to use the Cabernet Dorsa grape variety for making Classicus Rosé, Siller Red and Superior and Grand Superior Red wines a) Product specification headings affected: — III. Specific oenological practices — VI. Permitted grape varieties b) Single document section affected: — Wine-making practices – Specific oenological practices — Main grape variety (grape varieties) c) justification: The Cabernet Dorsa variety produces very high quality wine in the demarcated area. This variety is an excellent raw material, both on its own and in a blend, for making varietal and coupage Egri wines. The wine region has always been famous for its coupage wines. The possibility to use this characteristic variety will help better showcase the complexity of the production area. 10. Renaming ‘Tornyos dűlő’ as ‘Sík-hegy dűlő’ a) Product specification headings affected: — VIII. Further conditions b) Single document section affected: — Further conditions 10.6.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 195/9 c) justification: The entire area of this slope was called SÍK-HEGY as early as in the Middle Ages (ISTVÁN SUGÁR 1981). In the Communist era, the Eger Farming Cooperative erected a building with two towers on the centreline of the slope, for shelter and storage. Subsequently, the best located core areas of the slope began to be referred to as ‘Alsótornyos’ (Lower Tower) and ‘Felsőtornyos’ (Upper Tower). These names were later somehow shortened to ‘Tornyos’, which appeared on the map on its own, and was included in the EGER product specification as the name of a demarcated area. The soil composition of the slope currently called ‘Tornyos’ is identical to that of ‘Sík- hegy’. The wines produced here are similar in character. The Tornyos area is essentially embraced by the slope currently called ‘Sík-hegy’. The demarcation was based on the footpaths on the slopes and not on the natural boundaries. 11. Consolidation of slope names by municipality and limiting their