Wine Act.

The Wine Act provides a comprehensive legal framework for the wine industry in Germany and regulates important aspects from cultivation to production and marketing of wine. Part 2 deals with regulations for the cultivation of vine. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry is authorized to issue regulations on the right of re-planting and of new planting in certain areas. Regulations on the production of wine are contained in Part 3 dealing with issues such as, added substances, hygienic requirements of containers, and production place. Part 4 is devoted to quality wine and that their quality has to be certified by the competent authority which issues a control number to be shown on each bottle. Then the Act regulates the naming of wine and lists measures to be taken for the control of imported wine. Finally, the Act establishes penalties in case of violation and final and transitional provisions. The latest amendments of the Act are aiming to align with EU reforms, extending the vineyard replanting period from 2 to 5 years and strengthening federal authority over quality controls for wines with protected origin. The update also clarifies procedures for the vineyard register and prepares Germany’s system for new EU-wide rules on geographical indications and low-/no-alcohol wine labelling.