At the request of the Regulatory Council, the Directorate General for Agri-food Quality and Local Product has updated the regulations governing the production and marketing of wines under this protected geographical indication.
The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, through the Directorate-General for Agri-food Quality and Local Produce and at the request of the Regulatory Council, has amended the regulations governing the production and marketing of wines under the Vi de la Terra Mallorca Protected Geographical Indication. The Order of the Minister Joan Simonet has already been published in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB). Joan Llabrés, Director General of Agri-food Quality and Local Produce, stated that this measure ‘responds to a demand from Mallorcan wine producers, as the regulations are updated to adapt them to the new climatic conditions for wine production, as well as to the demands of consumers in terms of marketing’.
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The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment modifies the Vi de la Terra Mallorca specifications
In this regard, it should be noted that the first modification refers to the minimum total acidity of the wines, which has gone from 4.5 to 3.5 g/l of tartaric acid. The Control Board has presented a study carried out by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and the Institute for Agri-environmental Research and Water Economics (INAGEA), which explains that climate change not only has an impact on grape harvests and the quality of wine vintages, but also has a direct effect on the physico-chemical parameters of the must.
In particular, rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns mean that the natural acidity of must is decreasing. Acidity is a fundamental parameter in winemaking and influences taste balance, microbiological stability, colour preservation and longevity of the product. This low natural acidity of the musts has meant that in recent years the dosage of tartaric acid has had to be increased in order to reach the minimum required by the regulations. Excessive addition of tartaric acid can have negative consequences on the sensory profile of the final product. On the other hand, reducing the minimum level of acidity has no negative impact on the quality of the wine.
The second modification is the elimination of the identifying logo established in 2013, when the protected geographical indication Vi de la Terra Mallorca was created. The Regulatory Council has carried out a study to assess the knowledge of the logo and its implementation in the social sphere, both among consumers and among Mallorcan wine producers. The report concludes that it is not necessary to establish an image as part of the regulations. Thus, all wine producers will be able to voluntarily use the new logo of the geographical indication. ‘This will undoubtedly make it easier for the Regulatory Council to have more freedom when it comes to updating the corporate image of the quality seal,’ Llabrés emphasised.