Labels and “No-Lo”, extirpation, wine tourism and promotion: Eu “Wine Package”, there is ok

Better balance supply and demand, strengthen climate adaptation, simplify and harmonize labeling practices, encourage promotion and innovation, expand plant flexibility, and stimulate rural economies through wine tourism. Furthermore, reinforce the sector ability to respond to evolving consumer preferences and seize opportunities from emerging markets. These are the cornerstones of the much anticipated “Pacchetto vino” - “Wine Package” with the Council and the European Parliament having reached a temporary agreement on a modernized policy framework to support a European wine sector which is “resilient and future-oriented”. Before being formally adopted and entering into force, the provisional agreement must be approved by both the Council and the European Parliament.
The wine sector of the European Union accounts for 60% of global wine production and is the EU third-largest agri-food sector in terms of exports. However, it faces a series of challenges, including ongoing demographic changes, new consumption patterns, climate challenges, and market uncertainties. These sensitive aspects led to the establishment of the High-Level Group on wine policy to discuss the sector needs and propose solutions.
There are eight key elements in the agreement, starting with better alignment between production and demand, allowing Member States to support measures such as uprooting excess vineyards to prevent oversupply and maintain market stability, while fostering innovation and adaptation to new market conditions. The expiry date for the planting rights regime is removed and replaced with a 10-year review period.
Greater climate resilience is also addressed, enabling countries to increase EU support for climate-related investments, including mitigation and adaptation, up to 80% of eligible costs, allowing for a faster transition to sustainable production.
A green light has also been given to simplified and harmonized wine labeling, with streamlined rules aimed at reducing costs and facilitating cross-border trade for the benefit of consumers and producers. Wine buyers will have clearer access to information through digital labels and pictograms.
Among the highlights, there is also the need to strengthen rural economies through wine tourism, with producers receiving targeted support to develop dedicated initiatives stimulating economic growth in rural regions.
One of the most current topics regards “No-Lo” wines. The agreement stipulates that the term “alcohol-free” will apply to products with an alcohol content below 0.5%, while the lettering “0.0%” will be used for those below 0.05%. For wines with reduced alcohol content (above 0.5% but at least 30% lower than the standard level), the clearer lettering “reduced-alcohol” will replace the previous “alcohol-light”.
Another point of the agreement concerns export flexibility. Wines intended for export will be exempt from the obligation to list ingredients and provide a nutritional declaration for the EU internal market, thereby reducing administrative burdens.
The agreement also addresses actions to combat vineyard diseases such as flavescence dorée: monitoring, diagnosis, training, and research will receive additional support to tackle this serious threat to vineyards.
Finally, flavored wine products: the agreement clarifies that rosé wine can be used as a base for additional regional flavored wine products, expanding product development opportunities. This aims to encourage innovation in emerging product styles and support producers responding to new consumer tastes.
“The European wine sector  - said Jacob Jensen, Denmark Minister of Agriculture (the country holding the EU presidency, ed) -  embodies centuries of expertise, culture, and regional identity. This agreement ensures that producers can adapt, innovate, and compete globally while safeguarding rural livelihoods and preserving the quality and diversity consumers expect from European wine”.
Among the first reactions, there was that of Legacoop Agroalimentare which expressed satisfaction. According to its president Cristian Maretti, “this is a long-awaited and important result which comes after extensive dialogue and consultation, launched back in September 2024 with the creation of the High-Level Group on the wine sector. The European Commission could seize the complexity of the moment and the urgency of the sector demands, implementing an inclusive approach that today delivers a concrete first milestone”. Legacoop Agroalimentare said that, in the absence of a definitive official text, it will not comment on individual measures. However, “while aware that any regulatory framework can always be improved, it believes that the “Wine Package” includes numerous tools potentially capable of offering real support to producing world strengthening their ability to face market challenges and adapt to new scenarios”. Among the important aspects of the agreement, although the final text is not yet available, the “Wine Package”, the association lists, “aims to introduce mechanisms to prevent market imbalances through measures such as voluntary vineyard uprooting and distillation if Member States choose to use them; improve flexibility in replanting and planting authorizations; harmonize labeling, including for dealcoholized and partially dealcoholized wines; incentivize promotion in third countries; and support rural economies and wine tourism as a lever for enhancing territories and diversifying economic opportunities in the sector”. For Legacoop Agroalimentare, a central issue remains “ensuring that these innovative measures, expected to take effect in 2026, do not have only temporary effectiveness. The indications emerging from the Commission proposal on the post-2027 CAP, which suggest a possible deep revision of intervention architecture, raise serious concerns”. Maretti warns that “if the wine CMO and a dedicated budget were to disappear, all the work built over these years would risk being undone. The wine sector and the cooperative system need structural, stable tools and a long-term vision, not temporary solutions”.
The green light for “Pacchetto dell’Ocm Vino” - the “Wine CMO Package” also responds to many Coldiretti requests for simplification and transparency in labeling at a delicate time for the sector in terms of international trade, with tariff issues and domestic consumption challenges. Among the measures, it was important to avoid imposing a five-year restriction on vineyard restructuring funding for those who had received permanent uprooting funds, as expressly requested by the agricultural organization. Positive steps also include ensuring greater transparency in labeling for dealcoholized wines, particularly regarding the use of the terms “alcohol-free” and “reduced-alcohol” avoiding solutions that would confuse consumers. The provision for longer-lasting authorizations is also significant and fewer penalties, as well as crisis measures that will be easier to activate and finance, alongside those supporting businesses in combating serious infestations and climate change and in pursuing greater sustainability. To support the sector, as Coldiretti has repeatedly hoped, faced with U.S.-imposed tariffs, the forecast for promotional campaigns in third countries co-financed up to 60% by the EU, supplemented by national funds, with programs renewable for up to nine years, is positive, with the hope that the measure can be further strengthened. The agreement also reinforces support for wine tourism and promotional initiatives, crucial for sustaining a phenomenon that brought over 8 million Italians to vineyards this summer alone, according to Coldiretti/Ixe’ research. The Italian wine sector, Coldiretti recalls, is one of the pillars of the national agri-food economy, with total revenues reaching 14.5 billion euros. This heritage is managed by 241,000 wine-growing businesses, spread over 681,000 hectares, with Veneto, Sicily, and Puglia leading in terms of area. 78% of the surface - corresponding to about 532,000 hectares - is dedicated to GI wines (65% PDO and 14% PGI), alongside unparalleled biodiversity thanks to 570 indigenous native varieties.