New requirements for wine labelling

26 May 2026

Since December 8, 2023, new rules for wine labelling have applied under Regulation (EU) 2021/2117. On March 18, 2026, these rules were tightened by Regulation (EU) 2026/471 with additional provisions regarding QR codes. The new labelling requirements for dealcoholized wines apply from 19 September 2027.

The new provisions require the wine producer to inform the consumer much more extensively about the product. The most important new requirements are:

1. Mandatory ingredient lists and nutritional information

These may be provided digitally via a QR code (off-label). However, strict conditions apply:
• no marketing or advertising on the page behind the QR code
• no tracking or collection of user data
• information must be directly accessible
• the page must contain only mandatory product information
• a unique QR code per wine/product
• if the ingredients are listed below a QR code, this must be accompanied by the indication: 'ingredients'.

The information must be available in the official language(s) of the EU country where the wine is sold. When sold in different countries, the digital information must therefore be multilingual.

An exception to the digital provision of consumer information applies to the energy value. This must be on the bottle, bearing the E symbol. For sparkling wine, the sugar content must also be indicated. Allergens must also remain visible on the physical label.

2. New rules regarding dealcoholized wines

Several new additional rules apply to dealcoholized or partially dealcoholized wine, including:
• explicit mention of 'obtained through dealcoholization'
• the designation ‘alcohol-free/0.0%’ is only permitted for wine with a maximum of 0.05% alcohol
• the designation ‘alcohol-free’ is only permitted for wine with a maximum of 0.5% alcohol
• the designation ‘reduced in alcohol’ is permitted for wines with more than 0.5% alcohol, but at least 30% less alcohol than before dealcoholization
• indication of the best before date.

3. Legibility and placement

The mandatory information must:
• be clearly legible
• have a minimum font height of 1.2 mm
• be in the same field of vision as other key information (alcohol content, volume, origin, etc.)
• a QR code must also be placed in a clearly visible location.

eu-2026-471-eng.pdf (1,08 MB)

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