This communication is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1).

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’

PDO-IT-A0342-AM03

Date of communication: 2 January 2025

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1.   Inclusion of category specification

Description:

The category to which the ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ Spumante [sparkling] wines belong has been specified (‘sparkling wines’ or ‘quality sparkling wines’).

Reason:

This amendment has been made to clarify the categories of sparkling wine produced.

The amendment concerns Article 1 of the product specification.

2.   Editorial corrections and regulatory updates

Description:

Some editorial corrections have been made to the product specification, and the legal references have been updated, as has the name of the Ministry.

Reasons:

This amendment was made necessary by changes to the legislation in the sector and to the name of the Ministry. Some corrections have been made to remove typos or to make the provisions clearer.

The amendment concerns Article 5(3), Article 7(1), Article 8(4) and Article 10 of the product specification.

3.   Correction to the description of the production method with development in the bottle for sparkling and semi-sparkling wines

Description:

The description of the production method with development in the bottle for sparkling and semi-sparkling wines has been amended to include the words ‘including with’.

Reason:

The amendment has been made to clarify that the oenological practice of developing the wines in the bottle is always permitted for the sparkling and semi-sparkling types and is not necessarily subject to use of the expression ‘traditional method’ or ‘classical method’ or ‘classical traditional method’ as provided for by Article 53(3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/33.

The insertion of the words ‘including with’ indicates that these expressions should be regarded as optional, under the conditions laid down, and not an obligation on producers.

The amendment concerns Article 5(2) of the product specification.

4.   Reduction of the processing yield

Description:

The grape/wine processing yield, including any wine-making surplus, has been reduced from 80 % to 75 %, without prejudice to the limit of 70 % for finished wine eligible for the ‘Lambrusco di Sorbara’ protected designation of origin.

Reason:

This amendment has been made in order to limit the production of wines bearing the name of a Lambrusco variety, including those obtained from surplus wine-making under the ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ protected designation of origin, which must be reclassified as Lambrusco-type wines under the underlying Emilia typical geographical indication. The amendment is also intended to avoid the grapes being over-exploited.

This amendment concerns Article 5(5) of the product specification.

5.   Amendment to the period of fermentation and secondary fermentation

Description:

A new paragraph has been added containing a provision which allows products upstream of wine to undergo fermentation and secondary fermentation beyond 31 December each year and until the following 30 June.

Reason:

The amendment has been added in order to standardise production conditions throughout the territory of Emilia Romagna, taking into account the qualities of the Lambrusco variety and the traditional production techniques that have historically been used in the production area of the wines in question, focusing mainly on the production of semi-sparkling wines.

The amendment concerns Article 5(6) of the product specification.

6.   Definition of colour intensity

Description:

The maximum colorimetric intensity of the various products has been defined, according to their stage of production, in order to keep the wines and products upstream of wine with a well-defined colour intensity range that respects the tradition and authenticity of ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce PDO’ wines.

Reason:

This amendment has been made because, in recent years, it has been found that products with the ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ designation that have a higher colour intensity than that proposed by this amendment are treated – at the marketing stage – merely as complementary products in the preparation of blends for the production of the finished wines, and are never directly intended for bottling.

The amendment concerns Article 5(7) of the product specification.

7.   Correction of certain characteristics on consumption

Description:

Certain characteristics on consumption have been updated for existing wine types, while for semi-sparkling wines, some descriptions have been improved and updated and a paragraph has been added on the possibility for the various wine types – with the exception of those in the ‘quality sparkling wine’ category – to be cloudy due to fermentation residues.

Reason:

This amendment is due to the fact that, during the revision of the specification, it emerged that some characteristics on consumption contained terms that were incorrect, imprecise or inconsistent with the product category, especially regarding the sparkling wines, which contained terms relating to residual sugars specific to the ‘semi-sparkling wines’ category, disregarding the provisions of Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2019/33 applicable to the various categories of ‘sparkling wine’. A paragraph has also been added on the possibility for the semi-sparkling and sparkling wines, with the exception of those in the ‘quality sparkling wine’ category, to be cloudy due to fermentation residues. This is in view of the return to the production technique of secondary fermentation in the bottle without removal of the fermentation lees.

The amendment concerns Article 6 of the specification and the section on ‘Description of the wine(s)’ in the single document.

8.   Deletion of the provision for a ministerial decree amending the minimum limits for total acidity and sugar-free extract

Description:

The paragraph that provided for the possibility for the Ministry to issue a decree amending the limits for total acidity and sugar-free extract has been deleted.

Reason:

The provision has been superseded by the legislation in force.

The amendment concerns Article 6 of the product specification.

9.   Correction of the text concerning the requirement to indicate the sugar content on the label

Description:

For wines of sparkling and quality sparkling type, the requirement to indicate the sugar content has been deleted.

Reason:

The provision repeats an obligation already laid down in existing EU legislation.

The amendment concerns Article 7(2) of the product specification.

10.   Correction of the text to extend the use of the term ‘rosé’ as an alternative to ‘rosato’ to include the ‘Rosato Frizzante’ (semi-sparkling red) type

Description:

The possibility of using the term ‘rosé’ as an alternative to the term ‘rosato’, previously allowed only for the ‘Rosato Spumante’ type, has been extended to include the ‘Rosato Frizzante’ type.

Reason:

The amendment has been made in order to meet the demands of the market and producers.

The amendment concerns Article 7(3) of the product specification.

11.   Possibility of using the term ‘rifermentazione in bottiglia’ (secondary fermentation in the bottle) on the label

Description:

A paragraph has been added to allow the term ‘rifermentazione in bottiglia’ to be used on the label.

Reason:

This amendment has been made in order to correctly inform consumers about the use of the production technique involving secondary fermentation in the bottle, which has been reintroduced in recent years, to obtain semi-sparkling wines. Often the fermentation lees are not removed from these wines, and the presence of these residues often makes the wine appear ‘cloudy’.

This amendment concerns Article 7(4) of the product specification.

12.   Amendment to the maximum capacity of the bottles in which the wines are released for consumption

Description:

The text has been amended to set the maximum capacity for glass bottles at 9 litres, excluding the 5-litre ‘dama’ to preserve the traditional shape of the bottle.

Reason:

This change is made necessary by the fact that consumers sometimes request larger bottles, mainly for social occasions and other special events.

This amendment also provides producers with more business opportunities.

The amendment concerns only Article 8(1) of the product specification.

13.   Correction of the text to clearly define the authorised closure systems

Description:

The paragraph on the permitted closure systems has been updated and rewritten in itemised form, with separate provisions for sparkling wines.

Reason:

This amendment was needed to provide clarity on the permitted closure systems, in particular the use of screw caps, crown caps and flanged stoppers tied with string. The aim is to improve the wording, prevent conflicting interpretations and avoid any possible confusion between the semi-sparkling and sparkling types.

The amendment concerns Article 8(3) and (4) of the product specification.

14.   Update to the link with the geographical environment

Description:

The article on the link with the geographical environment has not been amended, but it was decided to rewrite the section ‘Link with the geographical area’ of the single document.

Reason:

To include in the single document the information already provided for in the product specification. It is therefore a purely editorial change.

This amendment concerns the section ‘Link with the geographical area’ of the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1.   Name(s)

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce

2.   Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected designation of origin

3.   Categories of grapevine products

4.	Sparkling wine

5.	Quality sparkling wine

8.	Semi-sparkling wine

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code

—	22 - BEVERAGES, SPIRITS AND VINEGAR 2204 - Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must other than that of heading 2009

4.   Description of the wine(s)

1.    ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ Rosso Spumante (sparkling red)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Bubbles: fine and long-lasting;

Colour: ruby or garnet red of varying intensity;

Aroma: fragrant, with floral and fruity notes;

Taste: from dosaggio zero to sweet, fresh, harmonious with a delicate hint of yeast;

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 11,00 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 18,0 g/l.

With the exception of the versions produced in the ‘quality sparkling wine’ category, the wine may be cloudy due to fermentation residues.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics

—	Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum total acidity: 6,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

—	Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): —

—	Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre): —

2.    ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ Rosato Spumante (sparkling rosé)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Bubbles: fine and long-lasting;

Colour: pink of varying intensity;

Aroma: fragrant, distinctive with floral and fruity notes;

Taste: from dosaggio zero to sweet, fresh, harmonious with a delicate hint of yeast;

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 11,00 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 16,0 g/l.

With the exception of the versions produced in the ‘quality sparkling wine’ category, the wine may be cloudy due to fermentation residues.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics

—	Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum total acidity: 6,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

—	Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): —

—	Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre): —

3.    ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ Rosso Frizzante (semi-sparkling red)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Bubbles: lively, evanescent;

Colour: ruby red of varying intensity;

Aroma: fragrant, distinctive with floral notes;

Taste: from dry to sweet, fresh, flavourful, intense, harmonious;

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 10,50 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 18,0 g/l.

The wine may be cloudy due to fermentation residues.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics

—	Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum total acidity: 6,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

—	Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): —

—	Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre): —

4.    ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ Rosato Frizzante (semi-sparkling rosé)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Bubbles: lively, evanescent;

Colour: pink of varying intensity;

Aroma: fragrant, distinctive with floral and fruity notes;

Taste: from dry to sweet, fresh, flavourful;

Minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 10,50 %;

Minimum sugar-free extract: 16,0 g/l.

The wine may be cloudy due to fermentation residues.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics

—	Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): —

—	Minimum total acidity: 6,0 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid

—	Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): —

—	Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre): —

5.   Wine-making practices

5.1.   Specific oenological practices

1.   Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce

Specific oenological practice

These wines are produced using traditionally long-standing, steadfast and established methods which only involve natural secondary fermentation in bottles and natural secondary fermentation by autoclaving. Both are essential to giving ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ PDO wines their unique characteristics. Enrichment operations and the addition of expedition liqueur are permitted subject to the conditions and limits laid down in EU legislation.

5.2.   Maximum yields

1.

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce Spumante 19 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

2.

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce Frizzante 19 000 kilograms of grapes per hectare

6.   Demarcated geographical area

The production area of the grapes for the production of musts and wines eligible for the ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ protected designation of origin comprises the entire administrative territory of the municipalities of Cavezzo, Concordia sulla Secchia, Medolla, Novi, S. Felice sul Panaro and S. Possidonio and part of the administrative territory of the municipalities of Campogalliano, Camposanto, Carpi, Finale Emilia, Mirandola, Modena and Soliera, all in the Province of Modena.

7.   Wine grape varieties

Ancellotta N. – Lancellotta

Fortana N.

Lambrusco Salamino N. – Lambrusco

8.   Description of the link(s)

8.1.   A) Details of the geographical area

1.   Natural factors relevant to the link

The Province of Modena lies in the centre of the Italian region of Emilia. It shares all the climatic features of the Po Valley, though half the province extends into the Apennine foothills and mountains, resulting in considerable variations. The plain’s specific location at the foot of the Apennines results in a typical continental temperature range and rainfall, with hot summers and harsh winters. Humid winds from the south are generally dry by the time they reach the region, resulting in low rainfall, much lower than is recorded in central Italy, for example. The average light, temperature variation and rainfall values confirm the highly continental nature of the climate, which is characterised by unevenly distributed rainfall with two peaks (spring and autumn) of hydrological excess and two periods (winter and summer) of severe shortage. Rainfall in particular is much lower on the Modena plain than in the rest of the Emilia plain, particularly during summer months, so much so that natural rainfall does not on average provide more than half the water needed for growing crops. Over the centuries, farming in the Modena area has been made more difficult by the high clay content and compact nature of most of the soil, and these factors continue to pose one of the main challenges today. These geographical characteristics are described in Volume VI (‘The Duchy of Modena and Reggio’) of Giuseppe Gorani’s work ‘Italy in the 18th Century’, in the chapter on the geographical environment, which opens with the statement that ‘nature seems to have been particularly kind to the town and territory of the State of Modena’.

The soil has been kept natural and fertile mainly due to human intervention in the form of drainage channels, protection against flooding, and farming techniques and systems that use organic soil improvers to counter the disadvantages of the extremely high clay content of the province’s arable land.

2.   Human factors relevant to the link

Cato’s De Agri Cultura and Varro’s De Re Rustica both mention Vitis labrusca. Likewise Pliny, in Naturalis Historia, documents the features of the Vitis vinifera, stating that ‘their leaves, just like those of the Labrusca vines, turn the colour of blood before falling’. The treatise on agriculture written by Pier dè Crescenzi of Bologna in 1300 states that Labrusca grapes are ‘black, they give the wines colour and make them clear, yet they are placed whole and with crumpled stalks in the pots and do not spoil the taste of the wine’. This is the earliest documented record that grapes from these vines were first used to make wine in that period, which suggests that the vines were perhaps no longer quite so ‘wild’. It should not be forgotten that the ancient Labrusca vines were wild vines (Vitis vinifera sylvestris) or the vines of the self-seeding subspecies Vitis vinifera sativa, which grew on unfarmed land. This is why Lambrusco is considered to be one of the most native vine varieties in the world, as it stems from the genetic evolution of the Vitis vinifera sylvestris occidentalis, which was domesticated in the Modena area. Lambrusco wine was always greatly prized by dukes. Two and a half centuries previously, in June 1430, Niccolò III d’Este ordered in one of his ‘holographs’ that ‘half of the duty for all wine brought from Modena to Paris should not be paid’, so as to facilitate trade in the wine. The most authoritative 19th century writers confirm that over the centuries, Modena became an area specialising in the production of sparkling wines that have gained a particular renown, with a tradition of production and consumption. The wines owe their characteristics exclusively or essentially to the environment, including all natural and human factors that define it. The historical origin of the name ‘Lambrusco Salamino’ can certainly be traced back to the mid-19th century, as shown by numerous historical documents, including the descriptive catalogue of the main varieties of grape cultivated in the Provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia, published in 1867 by the lawyer Francesco Aggazzotti, and the 1885 analytical essay ‘I lambruschi di Sorbara e salamino’ [Lambrusco di Sorbara and Lambrusco Salamino] by Enrico Ramazzini. The importance of human factors is particularly evident in the technical production aspects, which are relevant to the product specification.

Combination of varieties in the vineyards

The combination of varieties grown in the vineyards: ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ is a red vine variety with medium vigour and semi-erect growth. It is constantly productive. The vineyards allocated for the production of ‘Lambrusco Salamino’ PDO grapes must have the following combination of varieties:

—	Lambrusco Salamino: at least 85 % of the total area under vines;

—	other Lambrusco varieties traditional grown in the area, Fortana (known locally as Uva d’Oro) and Ancellota: up to 15 % of the total area under vines.

Training methods

Modena’s soil and climate are conducive to natural vine growth. The winegrowers have opted for a system of permanent cordons with drooping branches, which can contain the vigorous growth of the plants. The training system also has to allow the buds to be evenly distributed, the plants to achieve their productive potential, radiant energy to be captured, and enough air and light to reach the bunches. The most commonly used training systems are the free cordon, the Geneva double curtain and the Sylvoz. Planting density is 2 500–3 000 plants/hectare. The most commonly used rootstocks are Kober5BB, SO4 and 1103P.

Vinification and winemaking practices

These wines are produced using traditionally long-standing, steadfast and established methods which only involve natural secondary fermentation in bottles and natural secondary fermentation autoclaves. Both are essential to giving ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ PDO wines their unique characteristics. Enrichment operations and the addition of expedition liqueur are permitted subject to the conditions and limits laid down in EU legislation.

In their works, the Latin authors Cato, Pliny and Columella describe the production of a fizzy wine (Lambrusco) capable of frothing, which suggests a semi-sparkling wine. However, the biological process and the chemical nature of alcoholic fermentation and other related aspects of winemaking were not properly understood until scientific knowledge developed from the late 17th century and during the 19th century. Other discoveries were, however, needed to ensure that all the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation remained dissolved in the wine. This required a container that was able to withstand the pressure and a cap that could prevent it from escaping. These were developed between the late 17th century and early 18th century. This preference for producing semi-sparkling white and red wines was recorded by successive authors in the 17th and 18th centuries, until this long process of genetic evolution led to a better identification of the white and in particular the red varieties of the wild Latini vines (the family of Lambruscos from the Modena area) described by 19th centuries ampelographers (in particular Acerbi, Mendola and Agazzotti). In addition to these technological advances, there was also a major change in climate (the Little Ice Age) which led to cold and wet autumns, delayed ripening and incomplete fermentation that required secondary fermentation in barrels, which broke as a result. From the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, secondary fermentation in the bottle was the most common method for producing natural semi-sparkling Lambrusco in large quantities. This produced a cloudy, semi-sparkling Lambrusco without disgorgement, and represented the bulk of production. The first winery producing semi-sparkling Lambrusco in Emilia started operating in Modena in 1860. However, the production of the best-quality wines involved the removal of the lees with methods that reduced the loss of quality and quantity, first using isobaric decanting machines (developed by Martinotti in the late 19th century). Nowadays, for the production of semi-sparkling and sparkling wine with secondary fermentation in the bottle, the deposit of yeast lees is removed by allowing it to settle towards the cap and freezing the neck of the bottle.

8.2.   B) Details of the quality and characteristics of the product essentially or exclusively attributable to the geographical environment

‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ PDO covers the production of sparkling and semi-sparkling red or rosé wines. From an analytical and organoleptic point of view, these wines have very clear and specific characteristics, as described in Article 6 of the product specification, which mean that they can be clearly identified and are typical of the local area.

The grapes produced on the central Modena plains, given the prevalence of the soils known as ‘clayey soils of the drained valleys’, result in a well-coloured wine with good structure, a soft body, medium acidity and clear fruity notes. The freshness and fragrance of the aroma help to ensure a balanced taste.

8.3.   C) Description of the causal interaction between the details referred to in point A) and those referred to in point B)

Winegrowing in Modena is of great socio-economic importance. This is associated with the production of sparkling and semi-sparkling wines. The land is the most important environmental factor in ensuring a balance between vegetal growth and grape yield and the quality of the wine. Although there is some variation owing to the environment and farming methods, agricultural land in Modena can be regarded as extremely fertile, and falls within the following three categories:

a)

loose soil, yellow or reddish in colour, with low levels of lime and often also total and assimilable phosphorus, located at foothill level but also at higher altitudes. The soil on the plains is known as ‘partially decarbonated soil of the foothill plains’, whereas the two types of soil at higher altitudes are known as ‘soil with low levels of limestone from the Appenine margin’ and ‘limestone soil of the lower Apennines locally associated with gullies’;

b)	medium-textured soil, excellent both in terms of physical and chemical properties, originating from the flooding of the Secchia and Panaro rivers, located on the central plain and which can be classified as ‘limestone fluvial ridges with Sant’Omobono silty clay-loam soils’;

c)	clayey soils, very compact but chemically well-equipped and fertile, which provide the majority of the plain with soils known as ‘clayey soils of the drained valleys’.

The lowland soils form part of the flood plains from the Pleistocene and Holocene age, while the hilly and mountainous terrain is typical of the Cretaceous and Eocene age, and is very rich in fine and colloidal components. The soils of the plains are practically free from the coarse skeleton often found in cultivated hilly and mountain areas in the form of fragments of breccia rock, which have the potential to hinder normal farming operations.

On the plain to the north of the Province of Modena, where vineyards dedicated to the production of ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ PDO grapes are cultivated, the soils known as ‘clayey soils of the drained valleys’ predominate. The Winkler Index results vary from 1 900 to 2 000 degree-days, with total precipitation of around 450 mm between April and October. The history of Lambrusco and of the production of sparkling wines in Modena is long-standing, and includes the fascinating first accounts by classical poets and writers (Virgil, Cato and Varro) which spoke of the ‘ Labrusca vitis ’, a wild vine found at the edges of the fields and producing sour-tasting grapes. Lambrusco is a red wine that can be semi-sparkling or sparkling, is bright ruby red in colour and should be served at 12-14 °C in order to fully deliver its fragrances and aromas. It was ‘born’ in Modena, and from there has spread to national and foreign markets. Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce owes its importance within Modena’s wine industry to several factors: 1 806 hectares of land planted with vines registered in the relevant register of PDO vineyards, producing an annual average of 20 500 000 kg of grapes protected under the PDO. The ‘Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce’ protected designation of origin allow producers from Modena to present consumers with products that tell more of a story than others: where they come from, how they are processed, and the characteristics and special features setting them apart from products which cannot be identified from a well-defined area.

9.   Essential further conditions (packaging, labelling, other requirements)

—

Link to the product specification

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/22198

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(1)   OJ L 9, 11.1.2019, p. 2.