C 379/22 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 10.11.2020 V (Announcements) OTHER ACTS EUROPEAN COMMISSION Publication of a communication of approval of a standard amendment to a 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 379/09) This communication is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1). COMMUNICATION OF STANDARD AMENDMENT MODIFYING THE SINGLE DOCUMENT ‘MUSCADET CÔTES DE GRANDLIEU’ PDO-FR-A0496-AM02 Date of communication: 15.9.2020 DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT 1. Geographical area The reference to the Official Geographic Code has been updated to indicate the year 2020. The single document is not affected by this amendment. 2. Demarcated parcel area In Chapter I, Section IV, point 2 of the specification, the words ‘and 17 June 2020’ have been added after the words ‘20 June 2018’. The purpose of this amendment is to add the date on which the relevant national authority approved changes to the demarcated parcel area within the geographical area of production. The demarcated parcel area is made up of the parcels within the geographical area of production that have been identified as being suitable for producing the protected designation of origin. The single document is not affected by this amendment. 3. Area in immediate proximity The area in immediate proximity has been revised as a result of municipal mergers that have changed the names of certain municipalities. Accordingly, the municipalities ‘Saint-Géréon’ and ‘Ancenis’ have been replaced by the municipality ‘Ancenis-Saint- Géréon’. The municipalities ‘Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay’ and ‘Montaigu’ have been replaced by ‘Montaigu-Vendée (delegated municipalities of Montaigu and Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay only)’. This amendment is an editorial amendment which has not changed the area in immediate proximity. It means point 9 of the single document must be amended. (1) OJ L 9, 11.1.2019, p. 2. 10.11.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 379/23 SINGLE DOCUMENT 1. Name of the product Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu 2. Geographical indication type PDO – Protected Designation of Origin 3. Categories of grapevine product 1. Wine 4. Description of the wine(s) The wines are white, dry and still. They have: — a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 10 %, — a maximum fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) of 3 grams per litre, — a maximum volatile acid content of 10 milliequivalents per litre, — a maximum total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment of 12 %. The total acid content, the total sulphur dioxide content and the total actual alcoholic strength comply with the thresholds laid down in EU legislation. The wines are white, dry and still. They have intense aromas dominated by fruit and sometimes complemented by iodine notes, and a balance of taste which generally tends towards freshness. Prolonged maturation can give them greater richness in the mouth and make them suitable for ageing. They are packed carefully in bottles to preserve and strengthen their aromatic richness. General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum total acidity Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 5. Winemaking practices a. Specific oenological practices Cultivation method The minimum planting density of the vines is 6 500 plants per hectare. The distance between the rows is 1,50 metres or less, and the spacing between plants in the same row is between 0,90 and 1,10 metres. The vines are pruned with a maximum of 12 count buds per plant: — either by short pruning with a maximum of 5 spurs per plant, — or by means of simple or double Guyot. Pruning is carried out before the budding stage or stage 5 on the Eichhorn and Lorenz scale. Regardless of the pruning method, the vines can be pruned with four additional count buds per plant on condition that, at the phenological stage corresponding to 11 or 12 leaves, there are no more than 12 fruit-bearing branches for the year per plant. C 379/24 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 10.11.2020 Oenological practices Specific oenological practice Any heat treatment of the wine harvest at a temperature below -5 °C is prohibited. After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 12 %. The wines are aged on their fine winemaking lees at the end of alcoholic fermentation and at least until 1 March of the year following harvest. They remain on their fine winemaking lees at the time of packing or when first dispatched from the winery. In addition to the above, the oenological practices for these wines must meet the requirements laid down at EU level and in the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code. b. Maximum yields 66 hectolitres per hectare 6. Demarcated geographical area All stages of the production must take place within the geographical area approved by the National Institute of Origin and Quality at the meeting of the relevant national committee on 15 June 2017. The perimeter of this area, on the date of approval of this specification by the relevant national committee, comprises the territory of the following municipalities or parts of municipalities, based on the 2018 Official Geographic Code: — Department of Loire-Atlantique: Le Bignon (partly), Bouaye, Brains, La Chevrolière, Corcoué-sur-Logne, Geneston, Legé (partly), La Limouzinière, La Planche, Montbert (partly), Pont-Saint-Martin, Port-Saint-Père, Saint-Aignan- Grandlieu, Saint-Colomban, Sainte-Pazanne (partly), Saint-Léger-les-Vignes, Saint-Lumine-de-Coutais, Saint-Mars- de-Coutais, Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, Les Sorinières (partly), Vieillevigne (partly). — Department of Vendée: Rocheservière, Saint-Philbert-de-Bouaine. 7. Main wine grape variety(-ies) Melon B 8. Description of the link(s) 1. Information on the geographical area (a) Description of the natural factors relevant to the link The winegrowing area of the registered designation of origin ‘Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu’ is primarily situated on the hillsides surrounding the Lac de Grandlieu and on the banks of the rivers feeding it (the Logne, the Boulogne and the Ognon), as well as on the slopes of the river Acheneau, which serves as an outlet and joins the estuary of the Loire between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The geographical area covers a part of the territory of the departments of Loire- Atlantique and Vendée, south of the city of Nantes, not far from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It forms the westernmost part of the geographical area of the ‘Muscadet’ registered designation of origin. The vineyards are situated within ‘islands’ in the best locations, often isolated in a landscape mainly devoted to livestock and crop farming. The geographical area has a particularly temperate oceanic climate with very small temperature variations throughout the year due to the proximity of the coast. In winter, the Lac de Grandlieu is the largest freshwater body in metropolitan France and helps to make the air milder, greatly reducing the frequency of frost. The absence of any significant hills between the coast and the vineyards favours the rapid circulation of cloud-bearing sea air, thus leading to low rainfall within the geographical area and to more hours of sunshine than further inland. Summer temperatures are generally mild and moisture from the Lac de Grandlieu mitigates the rare heatwaves. The area’s geological structure is principally composed of metamorphic rocks, mainly mica schists and gneiss, as well as broad bands of basic rocks, amphibolites, eclogites and prasinites. In the lower areas, around the Lac de Grandlieu, the primary base is sometimes covered with tertiary sediments, mainly consisting of sand with a variable proportion of clay and pebbles. The soils that develop on these different formations are usually brown, healthy and well-drained. The well-established parcel area where the grapes are harvested follows the contours of hillsides forming open landscapes mainly or traditionally planted with vines, and parcels with shallow and moderately fertile soils which have a good heat-retaining capacity and a limited water-holding capacity. 10.11.2020 EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union C 379/25 (b) Description of the human factors relevant to the geographical link The winegrowing area of the registered designation of origin ‘Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu’ has inherited an ancient winegrowing tradition. During the Middle Ages, the salt route from the Bay of Bourgneuf and Noirmoutier already passed via the Lac de Grandlieu for the supply of wine. There had long been active trade with Ireland and the Celtic countries. The medieval vineyards were extended at the instigation of the abbeys of Buzay (on the banks of the Acheneau) and Villeneuve (on the banks of the Ognon). From the 14th century onwards, a commercial wine trade was established thanks to the presence of the northern European fleets in the Bay of Bourgneuf. In the 16th century, demand from Dutch traders encouraged the production of white wines. Thus, the Melon B variety was established in the region, where it was called ‘Muscadet’ from the mid- 17th century. At the end of the 18th century, the parish of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu already had one third of its land planted with vines. This municipality had up to 750 hectares of vines during the Second Empire. Following the phylloxera outbreak, the winegrowing area rebuilt itself using grafted plants and new techniques such as the Guyot pruning method and planting in rows. Since then, production know-how is well consolidated with winegrowers using Melon B as the sole variety, maintaining a high planting density, checking the vines’ growth and limiting their yield, and harvesting the grapes once fully ripened.