Official Journal
of the European Union
EN
C series
|
|
Official Journal |
EN C series |
|
C/2026/3122 |
11.6.2026 |
Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)
(C/2026/3122)
COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT
(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)
‘Coteaux champenois’
EU reference number: PDO-FR-A1364-AM05 – 20.3.2026
1. Name of product
‘Coteaux champenois’
2. Geographical indication type
|
☑ |
PDO |
|
☐ |
PGI |
|
☐ |
GI |
3. Sector
|
☐ |
Agricultural products |
|
☑ |
Wines |
|
☐ |
Spirit drinks |
4. Country to which the geographical area belongs
France
5. Member State authority communicating the standard amendment
Name
Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté Alimentaire [Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty] / Direction Générale de la performance économique et environnementale des entreprises [Directorate-General for the Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises]
6. Qualification as standard amendment
The French authorities consider the application to meet the requirements of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) 2024/1143.
The amendments to this product specification are standard amendments as defined in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.
The amendments are thus not considered Union amendments within the meaning of Article 24(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143. More specifically, they do not:
|
(a) |
include a change in the name or in the use of the name, or in the category of product or products designated by the geographical indication; |
|
(b) |
risk voiding the link to the geographical area referred to in the single document; |
|
(c) |
entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product. |
7. Description of the approved standard amendment(s)
Title
Vine varieties
Description
Under point 1 of Section V of Chapter I of the product specification, Chardonnay Rose has been added to the list of authorised varieties.
|
☑ |
The amendment affects the single document. |
Title
Other cultivation practices
Description
Under point 2(c) of Section VI of Chapter I of the product specification, the current rule is replaced by the following:
‘Chemical weed control is permitted on a strip no wider than 40 cm either side of the vine row.’
|
☐ |
The amendment affects the single document. |
SINGLE DOCUMENT
Designations of origin and geographical indications of wines
‘Coteaux champenois’
EU reference number: PDO-FR-A1364-AM05 – 20.3.2026
1. Name(s)
‘Coteaux champenois’
2. Geographical indication type
|
☑ |
PDO |
|
☐ |
PGI |
|
☐ |
GI |
3. Country to which the demarcated geographical area belongs
France
4. Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143
2204 – Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must other than that of heading 2009
5. Categories of grapevine product as listed in Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
|
1. |
Wine |
6. Description of the wine or wines
Grapevine product
Analytical characteristics
Organoleptic characteristics
The wines are still white, rosé and red wines.
The red wines have a transparent red colour of varying intensity.
The rosé wines are light in colour, ranging from pale pink to dark salmon pink.
The red and rosé wines have generally red fruit aromas.
The white wines have subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity or mineral nature.
The red and rosé wines are very light and fine wines, with a silky attack in the mouth.
The texture of the white wines is crystalline and saline, with a dominant minerality and a pleasant aftertaste. Their natural acidity gives them a certain liveliness.
Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics
—
Analytical characteristics
|
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume): |
13 |
|
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume): |
— |
|
Minimum total acidity: |
— |
|
Minimum total acidity unit: |
in milliequivalents per litre |
|
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre): |
— |
|
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre): |
— |
Additional information regarding analytical characteristics
The wines’ natural alcoholic strength by volume is at least 9 %.
Their total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13 % after any enrichment.
The wines have a fermentable sugar (glucose and fructose) content not exceeding 3 grams per litre. The red wines undergo malolactic fermentation. At the packaging stage, the red wines have a malic acid content not exceeding 0,4 grams per litre. Volatile acidity, total acidity and sulphur dioxide must be within the limits laid down in EU legislation.
|
☑ |
Any analytical characteristics not indicated in this section are within the limits laid down in the applicable EU legislation. |
7. Winemaking practices
7.1. Specific oenological practices used to make the wine or wines, relevant restrictions on making them
Vine density – general rules
Cultivation method
The vines are planted so that the spacing between rows does not exceed 2 metres. The spacing between plants in the same row ranges from 0,70 metres to 1,50 metres. The sum of the spacing between rows and the spacing between plants in the same row must not exceed 3 metres. Any transformation of parcels resulting in a change in planting density is prohibited until the parcels have been grubbed up.
Vine density – special rules
Cultivation method
So that specialist machinery can pass on parcels with a slope gradient of more than 35 % or a slope gradient of more than 25 % combined with a cross-slope gradient of more than 10 %, a path, 1,50 to 3 metres wide, may be left free at a maximum frequency of one out of every six rows. In this case, the sum of the spacing between the other rows and the spacing between plants in the same row must not exceed 2,30 metres.
Pruning rules
Cultivation method
There must be no overlap between different vines and fruiting canes should not touch. There should be no more than 18 buds per square metre. The vines must be pruned before they reach the ‘four leaves unfolded’ phenological stage (stage F, or stage 12 on the Lorenz scale). The following vine pruning techniques are permitted: Chablis pruning, Cordon de Royat pruning, Vallée de la Marne pruning, Guyot pruning (single, double and asymmetric).
Harvesting
Cultivation method
Practices that prevent grape bunches from being harvested whole are not permitted. The grapes must be transported whole to the wine-making facilities.
—
Specific oenological practice
The use of wood chips is not permitted. The use of oenological charcoal to make rosé wines, either alone or mixed in preparations, is prohibited. The amount by which the volume of grape must in fermentation is increased in the enrichment process is capped at 1,12 % for every 1 % increase in alcoholic strength. In addition to the above provisions, all winemaking practices followed must comply with the requirements laid down at EU level.
7.2. Maximum yields
Upper yield limit
|
Maximum yield: |
15 500 |
|
Maximum yield unit: |
kilograms of grapes per hectare |
8. Indication of the wine grape variety or varieties from which the wine or wines are produced
|
— |
Arbane B |
|
— |
Chardonnay B |
|
— |
Chardonnay Rose |
|
— |
Meunier N |
|
— |
Petit Meslier B |
|
— |
Pinot Blanc B |
|
— |
Pinot Gris G |
|
— |
Pinot Noir N |
|
— |
Voltis B |
9. Concise definition of the demarcated geographical area
The geographical area is the same as the area covered by the ‘Champagne’ protected designation of origin.
10. Link with the geographical area
Category of grapevine product
|
1. |
Wine |
Summary of the link
Details of the geographical area
The geographical area is the same as the area covered by the ‘Champagne’ protected designation of origin. It is located in the north-east of France and extends to municipalities spread across the departments of Aisne, Aube, Haute-Marne, Marne and Seine-et-Marne.
Like the geographical area, the parcels selected for harvesting the grapes are the same as those defined for the ‘Champagne’ protected designation of origin. They are set amid hillside vineyards resting on striking geomorphological structures to the east of the Paris Basin known as cuestas:
|
— |
Côte d’Ile-de-France in the department of Marne and the slopes of the connected valleys, the most representative sectors being, from north to south, ‘Montagne de Reims’, ‘Vallée de la Marne’ (extending into the south of the department of Aisne and into Seine-et-Marne), ‘Côte des Blancs’ and ‘Côte de Sézanne’; |
|
— |
Côte de Champagne, with the ‘Vitryat’ sector in the department of Marne and the ‘Montgueux’ sector in the department of Aube; |
|
— |
Côte des Bar, intersected by multiple valleys, comprising the eastern ‘Bar-sur-Aubois’ sector and the western ‘Bar Séquanais’ sector, spanning the departments of Aube and Haute-Marne. |
This typical cuesta ridge terrain, with its adjacent valleys, has east- and south-facing slopes and sometimes also north-facing ones such as those in the northern part of the ‘Montagne de Reims’ and the left bank of the ‘Vallée de la Marne’.
Hard layers of limestone or chalk make up the front slopes, while the back slopes are chalky, marly or sandy, and softer, left bare by erosion and then covered over again with colluvium from the front slope of the adjacent ridge.
The vineyards are in a northern wine-growing area, influenced by two different climates:
|
— |
an oceanic climate supplying regular rainfall, with limited temperature differences between seasons, and |
|
— |
a continental climate, bringing frosts – sometimes damaging ones – and beneficial summer sunshine. |
Vines have been grown in the ‘Champagne’ region since ancient times, becoming properly established in the ninth century after monastic winemaking developed. The wines were thus known in the Middle Ages under the name ‘Vins de France’ because they were produced in the Paris basin, bordering the Royal Estate.
Until the eighteenth century, the province of Champagne was primarily an area in which red wines were produced. According to Pierre Galet, they were produced much more than white and rosé wines (known as ‘paillets’) before the skill of producing sparkling wines using the second bottle-fermentation process was mastered. In the nineteenth century, the reputation of Champagne’s sparkling wines grew, and the production of red wines declined. Only a few high-quality wines produced in the Montagne de Reims, the Great Marne Valley and Aube retain a good reputation.
The Law of 22 July 1927, under which the designation ‘Champagne’ was reserved solely for sparkling wines, introduced the indication ‘Vins originaires de la Champagne viticole’, which was changed to ‘Vins natures de Champagne’ from 1953 onwards. Rehabilitated thanks to the efforts of a few winegrowers who carry on the tradition of these ‘vins natures’, the wines were given the ‘Coteaux champenois’ protected designation of origin in 1974 following the adoption of the Law of 12 December 1973, which prohibits the use of the designation ‘vins natures de la Champagne’.
Wines falling under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ protected designation of origin are produced only if the characteristics of the harvest are suited to the production of still wines. Output is therefore very variable.
In order to prevent fraudulent practices from wines moving in bulk, the producers requested the enactment of the Law of 23 May 1977, which prohibits wines produced under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ protected designation of origin from being transported other than in bottles, with the exception of movements between local operators within the demarcated Champagne wine region.
Production is managed by the same professional organisations as those established for the ‘Champagne’ protected designation of origin, namely the ‘Syndicat Général des Vignerons de Champagne’ (established in 1904) and the ‘Union des Maisons de Champagne’ (founded in 1882), which are grouped together within the ‘Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne’ (established in 1941).
The wines in question are still red, white and rosé wines, often designated by the name of the municipality in which the grapes are harvested.
The red wines have a transparent red colour of varying intensity, while the rosé wines are light in colour, ranging from pale pink to dark salmon pink. These wines are very light and fine wines, with a silky attack in the mouth and generally red fruit aromas.
The texture of the white wines is crystalline and saline, with a dominant minerality and a pleasant aftertaste. Their natural acidity gives them a certain liveliness. They have subtle aromatic notes of a floral, fruity or mineral nature. Ageing brings softness to the wine and contributes to its balance of taste.
The fact that the landscapes formed by the three cuestas, both on the plains and in the valleys, are so open and exposed ensures that the vines receive enough sunlight for the berries to ripen properly, even in north-facing vineyards. The eastern and southern exposure of the traditional areas most reputed for the production of ‘Coteaux champenois’ wines means that the vineyards receive maximum light in spring and autumn, providing optimum conditions for the flowering of vines and ripening of berries.
The open landscape prevents the stagnation of the cold air, thereby reducing the risk of frost. However, the climate of the Champagne region requires winegrowers to select only healthy grapes from the mildest years, chosen from the best parcels and mainly from old vines, and to harvest the grapes when they are fully ripe.
The slope of the hillside vineyards ensures optimum natural drainage which the various layers of the soil profile also guarantee, regulating the vines’ water supply. The porosity and permeability of chalk eliminates excess water, while capillary action ensures that the soil is rehydrated in dry weather. The other types of substrata found in the area combine with marly layers, which provide a water reserve, with either calcareous layers or carbonate sands, the latter allowing excess water from wet periods to permeate the soil. This type of substratum and the delicate climate conditions have influenced the choice of vine varieties planted in the different regions of the winegrowing area.
The Champagne region’s unique climatic conditions give a natural acidity to the grapes and subsequently the wines, determining the lively character of the wine on tasting, and highlighting the mineral notes contributed by the substrate.
The wines are often made from black grapes which, according to Jules Guyot, are more resistant to the effect of frost and rain and ripen earlier. In 1822 André Jullien rated ‘[the red wines] of Verzy, Verzenay, Mailly, Saint-Basle, Bouzy and Saint-Thierry among the best wines in France when produced in very hot and dry years’.
Making the red or rosé wines by means of maceration of varying duration is the most propitious way of capturing the aromas of the Pinot Noir N and Meunier N varieties and ensuring their development during fermentation. For the white wines, ensuring that the grapes remain whole from harvesting and are pressed gently, in accordance with practices in the Champagne region, makes it possible to avoid the colouring of juices made from black grapes and thus to guarantee the clarity of the wine.
Red wines from the province of Champagne, particularly appreciated for the natural finesse of their bouquet, featured among the great wines served at the coronation of the French kings in Reims from 1328 (Philippe de Valois). Powerful European sovereigns would even go on to acquire vines in the Montagne de Reims area, and Henry IV was keen to assume the title of Lord of Ay. The tasters at the Court of Louis XIV, bestowed with the title of ‘ordre des Coteaux’ [Order of the Slopes], enshrined the renown and reputation of these wines: In 1671, the Count of Olonne was advised by Charles de Saint-Évremond to ‘spare no expense in obtaining Champagne wine’. ‘There is no province that supplies more excellent wines for all seasons than Champagne.’
Many documents from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries provide a record of these praises. In 1822, Champagne wines were described by André Jullien as ‘distinguished among the best fine wines in the Kingdom’. Thanks to the professionalism of producers, this renown endures to this day. These wines must be drunk with respect and a certain historical curiosity, bearing in mind that they go back to ancient times.
11. Further applicable requirements
Title of the requirement/derogation
Additional name
Legal framework
National legislation
Type of further requirement/derogation
Additional provisions relating to labelling
Description of the requirement/derogation
Wines covered by this protected designation of origin may be labelled with the name of a smaller geographical unit, provided that: - it is the name of a place in the land register; - it appears on the harvest declaration. The indication of a place name is permitted only if all the grapes used to produce the wines come from the place in question.
Title of the requirement/derogation
Indication of the grape variety
Legal framework
National legislation
Type of further requirement/derogation
Additional provisions relating to labelling
Description of the requirement/derogation
The grape variety may be stated in characters no more than 3 mm tall, no more than 3 mm wide, and no more than half the size of the characters used to display the protected designation of origin. A particular grape variety may be indicated only if all the grapes are of that variety.
Title of the requirement/derogation
Packaging
Legal framework
National legislation
Type of further requirement/derogation
Packaging within the demarcated geographical area
Description of the requirement/derogation
The Law of 23 May 1977 prohibits wines produced under the ‘Coteaux champenois’ protected designation of origin from being transported between local operators other than in bottles, with the exception of movements within the demarcated Champagne wine region. After ageing, the wines are placed on the market for sale to the consumer from 15 October of the year following the year of harvest.
Electronic (URL) reference to publication of the product specification
https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-d012f672-717a-4deb-a062-bfbdca83d46c
(1) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3122/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)