Circular 8/2017. Conditions for
the designation of wines from
a given municipality

The Control Board Plenary of the DOCa Rioja, in session held on 11 August 2017, made, in relation to the matter of reference, the following decisions:

1. The name of a municipality included in the territory of the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja can only be applied to a wine when it is made with grapes exclusively from that municipality, and it is made (and aged, as the case may be) and bottled within its confines. In any case, the actual alcoholic strength must comply with the minimum set out in the Designation Specifications. Exceptionally, a wine may be considered to come from the municipality if its vinification includes no more than 15% of grapes from registered vineyards in municipalities bordering the municipality where the operator is located and provided that it is accredited by legally valid title, that such operator has had that 15% of grapes at its disposal for no less than 10 years.
2. The right to use the municipality on the label requires prior verification. Such verification shall include a report signed by the Control Body of the Control Board that confirms compliance with the following requirements:
   • Documentary control
     • Prior communication to Control Board
     • Statement of amount of wine made from that municipality
     • Specific classification.
     • Dedicated control sheets for movements, ageing and bottling.
     • Current back label or seal with controlled numbering and specific coding.
     • Declaration of aptitude of the wine made from that municipality
   • Physical control
     • Traceability of the wine made in the winery that identifies the provenance of the grape.
     • Assessment of amount of wine made with grapes from that municipality.
     • Dedicated assessment of stocks and ageing processes.
     • Specific classification verification.
     • Control of transfers of wines from the municipality.
     • Control of use of back labels and seals.
     • Control of batches of wine declared suitable for vino de municipio

3. The label must include the words ‘VINO DE’ followed by the name of the municipality under the term ‘Denominación de Origen Calificada’, and the text size, thickness and colour must be at most equivalent to the name of the Designation, ‘RIOJA’. In any case, the name of the municipality cannot stand out more than the name ‘RIOJA’ on the label. If the sub-area is also mentioned on the label, the name of the municipality should appear under it.
4. Prior notification to the Control Board, promotional marks may be used that refer to the name of the municipality on the capsules of the bottles, as long as it is also indicated on the label, for having the right to do so.
5. The brands used in the labels that include the name of a municipality will be exclusive for the wine with this geographical provenance, for which the owner will submit an affidavit of liability regarding the exclusive use of the brand in the said wines. If such affidavit does not exist, the labels used for the vino de municipio will be different from those used by the winery for the rest of its wines, in order to prevent consumer confusion.
6. The changes that affect the Designation Specifications will be considered consummated with the modification of this one.

Logroño, 18 August 2017.

THE PRESIDENT,

Fernando Salamero Laorden