According to a press release from the Italian wine association Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), Italy’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has withdrawn regulations for dealcoholized wines that were recently added to a draft excise tax decree.
UIV calls for swift regulation
The UIV emphasized the need for Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture to pass a decree as soon as possible, incorporating elements that have already been discussed with the wine sector. Key points include specific regulations for dealcoholization, such as requiring the process to occur in designated facilities, prohibiting the dealcoholization of wines with protected designations of origin (PDO/PGI), and classifying the removed alcohol as waste, thereby exempt from excise tax. The UIV expects the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Masaf) to present a new regulatory proposal. “We hope for a new proposal for a decree from the Ministry of Agriculture in the coming weeks,” said UIV President Lamberto Frescobaldi, as reported by the Italian online portal WineNews.
Dealcoholized products should be called “wine”
The UIV pointed out that a 2021 EU regulation mandates labeling alcohol-free or low-alcohol wines as “dealcoholized wine” or “partially dealcoholized.” Italian companies are therefore calling for permission to use the term “wine” for dealcoholized products, as their European peers do.
The previous regulation had permitted dealcoholization of wine on the condition that no more than 50 hl of pure alcohol would be produced as a byproduct annually. The resulting ethyl alcohol was to be subject to excise duty and collected in a sealed storage container regulated by the Customs and Monopolies Agency.
