Mutual acceptance of existing oenological (wine making) practices - Since 1983, the European Union (EU) has extended short-term derogations, temporarily accepting US wine making practices.  This Agreement removes the continuous uncertainty of these temporary derogations, providing more stable market conditions for US wine exporters.  The US continues to accept current EU oenological practices, and agrees to follow a formalized approval process for new wine making procedures (Article 4, Article 5 and Annex I).

Certification : Under the terms of the Agreement, the EU has simplified its import certification requirements for US wine.  All U.S. wine imports must be accompanied by certification and analysis documentation using the format specified in Annex III (a) to the Agreement.  More information on the simplified EU import certificate form can be obtained from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.  With the mutual acceptance of wine making practices, the US will exempt EU wine from new US certification requirements for imported wine (Article 9 and Annex III).

Semi-generic names : The US agrees to seek legislative changes to limit the use of 16 semi-generic names, as well as retsina used on wine labels.  The names covered by the Agreement include: burgundy, chablis, champagne, chianti, claret, haute sauterne, hock, madeira, malaga, marsala, moselle, port, retsina, rhine, sauterne, sherry, and tokay (Article 6 and Annex II). Legislation changing the legal status of these names was enacted by the Congress and singed by the President on December 20, 2006, as section 422 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.  The new rules  grandfather existing uses of these semi-generic names, but prohibit new brands from using these names on non-European wine.  

Names of Origin : The US and the EU agree to recognize certain of each other's names of origin in specific ways.  While this Agreement does not address the broader issue of geographic indications (as this still remains under the purview of the TRIPs Agreement), the US and the EU note that "each Party's competent authorities shall take measures to ensure that any wine not labeled in conformity with this Article is not placed on or is withdrawn from the market until it is labeled in conformity with this Article"  (Article 7, Annex IV and Annex V).  Commission Regulation 1416/2006 lays down specific rules on the implementation of Article 7 concerning the protection of U.S. names of origin.

Labeling : The Agreement addresses a number of additional labeling issues.  Article 8 notes that "labels shall not contain false or misleading information in particular as to character, composition or origin."  More specifically, the Protocol on Wine Labeling, sets specific conditions for the use of names of vines, vintage characteristics, production methods, product types and variety names.  See also GAIN Report E36067 "EU Wine Labeling Requirements".