What changed on 8 December 2023
Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 amended the EU common market organisation rules (Regulation (EU) 1308/2013): like other foods, wine must now show a list of ingredients and a nutrition declaration.
The obligation applies to wines produced from 8 December 2023. Wines produced before that date can be sold with their old labels until stocks run out.
It covers every category of grapevine product: still, sparkling and semi-sparkling wines, liqueur wines, and de-alcoholised and partially de-alcoholised wines. Similar rules apply to aromatised wine products.
The rules apply to wine sold in the EU, whatever its origin. If you export outside the EU, check the rules of the destination country.
What stays on the bottle and what can go in the QR code
The regulation lets you move part of the information to an electronic label: a web page reached through a QR code printed on the label.
| On the physical label | Can go on the e-label |
|---|---|
| The energy value, which can be shown with the symbol "E": for example E (100 ml) = 330 kJ / 80 kcal | The full nutrition declaration per 100 ml |
| The allergens, for example "contains sulphites" | The full list of ingredients |
| All the usual mandatory particulars: designation, alcohol content, volume, bottler, lot, origin |
Next to the QR code, say clearly what it leads to, for example "Ingredients and nutrition". According to the European Commission's guidance, an "i" symbol on its own is not enough.
How to write the list of ingredients
Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. For wine they are usually:
- Grapes, and where used concentrated or rectified concentrated grape must, sugar (where permitted), and tirage or expedition liqueur for sparkling wines.
- Additives, with their category and their name or E number: acidity regulators, preservatives, antioxidants, stabilisers. For example "preservative: sulphites".
- Packaging gases can be replaced by the words "bottled under a protective atmosphere".
Processing aids, such as fining agents, are not listed unless they are allergens (for example egg or milk products). Allergens must stand out from the rest of the list, for example in bold.
For acidity regulators and stabilisers that may be used as alternatives, you can write "contains ... and/or ...", naming only the products that could actually have been used.
How nutrition values are calculated
The declaration refers to 100 ml of wine and covers energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. In wine, fat, protein and salt are negligible, so you can write "Contains negligible amounts of fat, saturates, protein and salt".
Energy is calculated with the conversion factors of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011:
| Component | kJ per gram | kcal per gram |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol (ethanol) | 29 | 7 |
| Carbohydrate (sugars) | 17 | 4 |
| Organic acids | 13 | 3 |
| Polyols (glycerol) | 10 | 2.4 |
Grams of alcohol come from the alcohol content: 13.5% vol × 0.789 = 10.65 g per 100 ml. Sugars and acidity from the lab analysis, usually in g/l, are divided by 10.
Example. A red wine with 13.5% vol, 3 g/l residual sugar and 5.5 g/l total acidity, with glycerol estimated from the alcohol content, has about 330 kJ / 80 kcal per 100 ml. EUlabel does this calculation for you when you enter your lab data.
The values can be averages for your wine, based on the lab analysis or on generally accepted data.
The rules for the e-label page
- No marketing. The page cannot contain sales or promotional information.
- No tracking. You cannot collect or track data about the people who look at it: no profiling cookies, no user analytics.
- The right language. The information must be in the languages of the country where the wine is sold. A page that opens in the phone's language covers every market with the same QR code.
- Always available. The printed QR code must keep working for as long as the product is on sale.
Packaging labelling
Packaging rules are still set country by country. Some examples:
- Italy: Legislative Decree 116/2020 requires the material code of each consumer packaging component (for example GL 70 for glass, FOR 51 for cork, ALU 41 for aluminium) and sorting instructions. This information can be given digitally, so on the same QR page.
- France: most household packaging needs the Triman logo and sorting instructions (Info-tri), with some exemptions, for example for glass.
- Spain and other countries have their own requirements for sorting information.
In the coming years the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 will bring harmonised labels across the EU. Until then, check the rules of each country where you sell.
Sparkling wine, bag-in-box and other formats
The rules are the same for sparkling and semi-sparkling wines: the ingredients also include the tirage or expedition liqueur, if used. For bag-in-box, kegs and cans, the declaration is still per 100 ml and the packaging information covers every component: box, bag, tap.
How to comply with EUlabel
- Enter the name, vintage, alcohol, sugars and acidity from your lab analysis.
- Pick the ingredients from a list that is already translated: allergens appear in bold.
- List the packaging components: material codes and disposal are filled in for you.
- Download the QR code and send it to the printer with your label, with the words next to it and the energy value.
The page is already translated into the 24 EU languages, uses no cookies or tracking, and if you change something the printed QR code keeps working.
Updated October 2026. This guide is for information only and is not legal advice.