MAIN SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TECHNICAL FILE FOR ÚJFEHÉRTÓI MEGGYPÁLINKA

2011/C 85/07

INTRODUCTION

On 8 June 2010, Hungary has applied for registration of ‘Újfehértói meggypálinka’ as a geographical indication within Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89.

According to Article 17(5) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, the Commission shall verify, within 12 months of the date of submission of the application referred to in paragraph 1, whether that application complies with this Regulation.

This verification has been done and in accordance with Article 17(6), the Commission services have announced that the application complies with the Regulation at the 101st meeting of the Committee for spirit drinks on 17 November 2010.

Therefore, the main specifications of the technical file shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, C Series.

According to Article 17(7), within six months of the date of publication of the main specifications of the technical file, any natural or legal person that has a legitimate interest may object to the registration of the geographical indication in Annex III on the grounds that the conditions provided for in this Regulation are not fulfilled. The objection, which must be duly substantiated, shall be submitted to the Commission in one of the official languages of the European Union or accompanied by a translation into one of those languages.

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TECHNICAL FILE FOR ‘ÚJFEHÉRTÓI MEGGYPÁLINKA’

A.   Name and category of spirit drink including the geographical indication:

Name: Újfehértói meggypálinka

Category of spirit drink: Fruit spirit (category 9 in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008)

B.   Description of spirit drink, including the main physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics:

Organoleptic characteristics:

Clear, colourless, pleasant sour cherry flavour and aroma; with citrus notes from the fruit and marzipan notes from the sour cherry stones.

Chemical and physical properties:

C.   Definition of the geographical area concerned:

‘Újfehértói meggypálinka’ may originate only from the following settlements of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county: Bálintbokor, Butyka, Császárszállás, Érpatak, Geszteréd, Kálmánháza, Kismicske, Kisszegegyháza, Lászlótanya, Ludastó, Petőfitanya, Szirond, Újfehértó, Újsortanya, Táncsicstag, Vadastag, Zsindelyes.

D.   Description of the method for obtaining ‘Újfehértói meggypálinka’:

‘Újfehértói meggypálinka’ can only be produced from cherry varieties ‘Újfehértói fürtös’ and ‘Debreceni bőtermő’.

No additives or sugar may be added to the fruit pulp.

During mashing procedure properly prepared and rehydrated yeast is added to the stoned sour cherry mash.

In the case of stone-fruits it is necessary to insure the so called ‘fruit stone flavour’. Therefore, if needed, dried broken stones are added to the fermenting mash, in addition to the permitted broken stones (max. 3 %).

Sour cherry mash may be distilled by two types of equipment (fractional, ‘kisüsti’ type or continuous distillation). After distillation the distillate rests and matures in clean stainless-steel container for at least three months.

E.   Details bearing out the link with the geographical environment or the geographical origin:

The main soil type in the concerned geographical area is sandy soil with humus on sand-forming rocks. This type of soil is characterised by a humus content over 1 % and a topsoil of 40 cm. It has good water retention capacity and permeability, it is airy and does not dry easily, and its nutrient capacity is sufficient to achieve a good yield. The water management properties of the soil are also favourable, as moderate water permeability combines with good water retention capacity. Its airiness and nutrient management properties are further positive factors.

A comparison of the production requirements of the ‘Újfehértói fürtös’ variety with the characteristics of the geographical area demonstrates a happy coincidence between them, and it is not mere chance that sour cherry production was started here and that the variety ‘Újfehértói fürtös’ has its origin here; or that most of the sour-cherry crop of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county is produced here.

In Újfehértó, as well as in the Alföld generally, fruit played an important part in nutrition. One such fruit was the sour cherry, the wild growing varieties of which could already be found in the surrounding areas at the beginning of the 17th century.

Smallholders with larger holdings and orchards had their summer pálinka made at the same time as the ‘harvest pálinka’ for the inhabitants of the settlement was produced.

From the beginning of the 19th century, Újfehértó had numerous and extensive vineyards. Beside the vines various fruit trees were also to be seen, such as the semi-wild ‘gipsy’ sour cherry trees and, in ever growing numbers, the Szilágyi and Pándy sour cherry trees. During the middle of the 1970s, sour cherry orchards started to emerge on smaller farms, mainly made up of the Pándy sour cherry variety and the ‘fürtös’ sour cherry developed at the research station of Újfehértó in 1965.

There used to be two larger industrial pálinka distilleries operating in Újfehértó, one financed by the settlement and the other by the local landowners. The former was in the north part of the settlement, the latter — founded by Lőrinc Csernyus first lieutenant of the 1848-1849 revolution — in the south part is still operating in Rákóczi út.

All in all, we can say that, in view of the appropriate climatic conditions, sour-cherry pálinka production and consumption have a long-standing tradition in the designated area.

The ‘Újfehértói meggypálinka’ can only be produced and bottled in the distilleries of the concerned geographical area.

F.   Requirements laid down by Union and/or national and/or regional provisions:

G.   Name and postal address of the applicant:

H.   Supplement to the geographical indication and/or specific labelling rules:

Indications contain the followings in addition to the requirements prescribed by the legal regulations: