22.4.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 98/3

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Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2005/C 98/03)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘SIDRA DE ASTURIAS’ OR ‘SIDRA D'ASTURIES’

No CE: ES/00260/28.10.2002

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular the producers of products covered by the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product specification obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:	Subdirección General de Sistemas de Calidad Diferenciadas. Dirección General de Alimentación. Secretaría Generalde Agricultura y Alimentación in the Spanish Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
Address:	Infanta Isabel, 1. E -28071 Madrid
Telephone:	(34-91) 347 53 94
Fax:	(34-91) 347 54 10

2.   Group:

2.1.	Name: (a) Asociación de Lagareros de Asturias (ALA) (b) Asociación de Sidra Asturiana (ASSA) (c) Asociación Asturiana de Cosecheros de Manzana de Sidra (AACOMASI).

2.2.	Address: (a) C/ Dr. Alfredo Martínez, no 6 — 2o, E-33005 Oviedo — Asturias (b) La Espuncia, s/n, E-33318 Villaviciosa — Asturias (c) C/ Siglo XX, no 26-28 bajo, E-33208 Gijón — Asturias

2.3.	Composition: Producer/ Processor (X) Other ( )

3.   Type of product:

Class 1-8, Other products in Annex I: cider

4.   Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1   Name: ‘Sidra de Asturias’ or ‘Sidra d'Asturies’

4.2   Description: The products to be protected by the protected designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ are:

Cider: a drink obtained from partial or total alcoholic fermentation of fresh apples or apple must. The minimum alcohol content by volume should be 5 %.

Cider with a sugar content of less than 30 g/l is dry; between 30 and 50 g/L, the cider is semi-dry, and sweet cider contains over 50 g/l (up to a maximum of 80 g/l).

The organoleptic properties of the cider are its characteristic strong flavour, which may be dry, semi-dry or sweet; the presence of persistent small, medium and large bubbles of carbon-dioxide gas of endogenous origin; the clean and balanced aroma, with overtones of fresh or stewed apples; and the appearance of a transparent, sparkling drink of clear almond hue.

Natural cider: a drink obtained from partial or total alcoholic fermentation of fresh apples or apple must, produced in accordance with traditional practices, without the addition of sugar, containing carbon-dioxide gas of endogenous origin. The minimum alcohol content by volume should be 5 %.

The natural cider is characterised by a strong flavour, with a good balance between sharpness and bitterness and a slight natural piquancy. The aroma is clean and fresh with a variety of fruity notes and a slight acidity. Its appearance is that of a transparent, sparkling drink of a colour tending to golden or straw coloured.

Both products are prepared from varieties of cider apples traditionally cultivated in the area of production.

The varieties authorised are classified by their acidity and the concentration of phenolic compounds in eight technological groups: sweet, bitter-sweet, bitter, semi-acid, semi-acid-bitter, bitter-semi-acid, acid and acid-bitter.

4.3   Geographical area: The area of production of the apples and manufacture of the cider protected by the designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ is the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias. Asturias is a geographical and historical region of northern Spain and comprising 78 municipalities (concejos): Allande, Aller, Amieva, Avilés, Belmonte de Miranda, Bimenes, Boal, Cabrales, Cabranes, Candamo, Cangas de Narcea, Cangas de Onís, Caravia, Carreño, Caso, Castrillón, Castropol, Coaña, Colunga, Corvera, Cudillero, Degaña, El Franco, Gijón, Gozón, Grado, Grandas de Salime, Ibias, Illano, Illas, Langreo, Las Regueras, Laviana, Lena, Llanera, Llanes, Mieres, Morcín, Muros de Nalón, Nava, Navia, Noreña, Onís, Oviedo, Parres, Peñamellera Alta, Peñamellera Baja, Pesoz, Piloña, Ponga, Pravia, Proaza, Quirós, Ribadedeva, Ribadesella, Ribera de Arriba, Riosa, Salas, San Martín de Oscos, San Martín del Rey Aurelio, Santirso de Abres, Santa Eulalia de Oscos, Santo Adriano, Sariego, Siero, Sobrescobio, Somiedo, Soto del Barco, Tapia de Casariego, Taramundi, Teverga, Tineo, Valdés, Vegadeo, Villanueva de Oscos, Villaviciosa, Villayón, Yernes y Tameza.

Although the designated geographical area covers 10 560 km2, Asturias is one of the most mountainous regions of Europe, which severely limits the agricultural area which can be used to grow apples. Cultivation takes place in small valleys and hillsides throughout the designated area (the 78 municipalities listed).

The soil and production conditions of Asturias mean that agricultural holdings are spread to a greater or lesser extent throughout these municipalities, which means that rural population centres are small and dispersed, as are the plots of land.

Traditionally, cider apples have been grown in Asturias in extensive farming mixed with natural grassland. Because holdings there are small, this combination of livestock farming and the production of apples for cider has exerted considerable socio-economic influence on the countryside by generating extra income on family holdings and checking to some extent the flight from the land by providing an occupation which cares for the environment and retains population.

As in the case of plantations of cider apples, presses have historically been small-scale on holdings which produce cider for family consumption on the farm. This practice has gradually dropped into desuetude and now presses are concentrated close to infrastructure and with more appropriate services for industrial operation.

4.4   Proof of origin: The products (natural cider and cider) protected by the designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias/Sidra d'Asturies’ are manufactured from cider apples of the varieties authorised under the relevant Regulation that have been obtained on parcels registered with the Regulatory Council; the cider is manufactured in registered establishments located in the area of production and manufacture, which have proved satisfactory on the basis of manufacturing and processing tests relating to varieties, growing techniques, raw materials, pressing, manufacturing processes, bottling and labelling, in accordance with the processing practices laid down in the quality specifications drawn up by the Regulatory Council.

Care should be taken to check in particular that the carbon dioxide gas incorporated in the cider is exclusively that produced endogenously in the process of fermentation of the must, and that it is added after collection, purification, compression, filtration and storage, and before bottling. All these procedures should be checked in accordance with the instructions in the quality manual of the Regulatory Council, which lays down minimum requirements for techniques of analysis for the detection of carbon dioxide gas, through the determination of stable light isotopes and the C13/C12 ratio, which provides evidence of the origin of the incorporated gas.

Certification involves visual inspection, checking of documents and sampling of the product. Ciders obtaining the certificate may be marketed under a label bearing the logo of the Regulatory Council and the words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida Sidra de Asturias’; the container will be labelled with a serial number provided by the Council.

4.5.   Method of production: The cider is produced from varieties of cider apple traditionally grown in the production area within the following technological groups: sweet, sour, bitter, sour/bitter, bitter/sweet, bitter/semi-sour, semi-sour and semi-sour/bitter.

The successive stages in the manufacture of the cider are washing and crushing the apples; obtaining natural must by pressing; fermentation; decanting; clarifying; filtering with permitted products and materials; bottling.

The cider may be carbonated using CO2 produced endogenously during the manufacturing process, in accordance with the conditions laid down in this document, the specifications and the quality manual.

Requiring cider to be bottled in the ‘Sidra de Asturias’ PDO designated area is intended to protect the reputation of the designation by guaranteeing both the authenticity of the product and the maintenance of its quality and characteristics, which the beneficiaries assume fully and collectively through the Consejo Regulador set up for that purpose.

It ensure inspection and traceability of the products obtained, so avoiding any possibility of mixture with products from elsewhere, since the inspections in the area of production under the responsibility of the beneficiaries of the designation of origin are scrupulous and systematic and carried out with a thorough knowledge of the characteristics of the product.

Similarly, the fact that cider may include only CO2 which is produced endogenously during the manufacturing process, entails the use of appropriate equipment alongside the bottling plant so that it would be inconvenient, and greatly complicate the inspection process, if it were transported to other bottling plants with the risk of the process being ‘adulterated’.

Permitted practices

Prohibited practices

Natural cider must have the following physico-chemical properties:

Volatile acidity: < 2,0 g/l acetic acid. Alcohol content: > 5 % (v/v). Total sulphur dioxide: < 150 mg/l. Carbon dioxide pressure in bottle (20o C): > 0,5 atm.

Cider must have the following physico-chemical properties:

Volatile acidity: < 2,0 g/l acetic acid. Alcohol content: > 5 % (v/v). Total sulphur dioxide: < 200 mg/l. Carbon dioxide pressure in bottle (20o C): > 3 atm.

4.6   Link:

4.6.1.   Historical:

Asturias is Spain's major cider-producing region, accounting for 80 % of national output. The history of the region is closely linked to cider apple growing and the manufacture of cider, as is clear from the reports by the geographer Strabo in 60 BC.

4.6.2.   Natural:

Over the centuries, Asturian farmers have selected varieties from trees obtained from seed, without grafting, choosing the most productive, best suited to the environment and producing the best quality cider apples. It is the features of different varieties (sweet, bitter-sweet, bitter, semi-acid, semi-acid/bitter, bitter/semi-acid, acid, acid/bitter and bitter/acid) and all the resulting mixtures which give Asturian ciders their special semi-acid character.

The inclusion in the designation of the two products (natural cider and cider) results from the quality rules in Spain (Ministerial Order of 1 September 1979) which differentiates between them on the basis that ‘cider’ may be produced with exogenous CO2, either added or from any source.

The two types of cider covered by the designation start from the designation ‘natural cider’. In the case of ‘cider’, CO2, whether recovered from the fermentation process (so solely endogenous) and the addition of a small quantity of sugar syrup. The raw material, the production technology and the industrial equipment are virtually the same, although ‘natural cider’ is much older, with ‘ciders’ with added CO2 appearing with the advances in technology and research achieved in the nineteenth-century.

The geographical name ‘Asturias’ is historically linked to the manufacture and consumption of cider in Spain, since it is the region which accounts for largest share of production.

4.6.3.   Human factor:

Cider is the third most important product, in terms of turnover, in the Asturian food and agriculture sector. Natural cider is produced in traditional presses, of which Asturias possesses 106 on a commercial scale. Family tradition is particularly strong, in that over 60 % of these presses were inherited by their owners. The most common legal form is the sole proprietorship; only about 10 % take the form of an incorporated or limited company. Asturias accounts for 93 % of the total natural cider market. Cider production is largely accounted for by 10 firms, which together represent 61 % of the total turnover of the sector. The national market absorbs about 80 % of output, with some 13-14 % being exported and the remaining 7 % consumed in the region of Asturias.

4.7   Inspection body:

Name:	Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) ‘Sidra de Asturias’.
Address:	C/Avenida de las Callejas, no 3 — Planta plaza E 33300 Villaviciosa — Asturias
Telephone:	(34) 985 89 32 08
Fax:	(34) 985 89 31 70
E-mail:	info@sidradeasturias.es

The Regulatory Committee for the protected designation ‘Sidra de Asturias’ complies with standard EN-45011.

4.8   Labelling: To avoid misleading consumers, labels for cider must comply with the Order of 1 August 1979 concerning ciders and other drinks derived from apples. Under Article 17, the compulsory indications on bottles include the designation ‘cider’ or ‘natural cider’, as appropriate.

The name of the designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must appear clearly and set apart on the labels and stickers on bottled ciders, along with the details required under the applicable legislation.

The consumer can clearly distinguish the type of cider by the presentation, since the bottle closure is different. Since the pressure in a bottle of ‘cider’ is over three atmospheres, the sealing system must naturally be different, like the form of the bottle which contains it.

In any case, the PDO ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must appear on the labels of all protected ciders which meet the requirements of the approved implementing Regulation. Furthermore, in accordance with the general rules on labelling and the presentation of food products, ‘cider’ or ‘natural cider’, as appropriate, must appear.

All bottles containing cider protected by the PDO shall be marketed under a numbered control label issued by the Regulatory Council.

Labels liable to mislead the consumer, in any way, shall not be approved; the Regulatory Council may withdraw approval of labels it had formerly authorised.

4.9   National requirements: The protected designation of origin ‘Sidra de Asturias’ must comply with the following legal provisions:

—	Corrigenda published in BOE of 21 September 1979.

—	Amended by:

—	Order of 27 July 1984 (cf. point 2).

—	Order of 24 September 1985 (cf. point 3).

—	Derogation from specifications for admitted tolerances for alcohol content laid down in Article 17: Royal Decree 1045/1990 [cf. I, 9].

—	Derogation from point 2 of paragraph A); points 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 of paragraph B); and, point 6 of paragraph C) of Article 6 of Chapter III: Royal Decree 145/1997 [cf. VIII, 7].

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(1)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture, Agricultural product quality policy, B-1049 Brussels.

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