🍷 Table wine

Table wine is everyday wine without a protected designation of origin or geographical indication. Under the old EU wine regime it was a separate category, table wine, in French vin de table, in Italian vino da tavola, in German Tafelwein; today EU law simply calls it wine, without a geographical indication. ²¹

The old category. Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 defined table wine as wine other than quality wine produced in a specified region, made in the Community from authorised varieties. It needed at least 8.5 % vol actual alcohol in wine-growing zones A and B and 9 % vol elsewhere, at most 15 % vol total alcohol and at least 3.5 g of total acidity per litre. ²

The 2008 reform. Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 replaced that system: wines without a protected designation of origin or geographical indication were allowed to show the vintage year and the names of grape varieties on the label. Member States were required to set up certification to guarantee these particulars and could exclude certain varieties to avoid confusion about origin. The labelling chapter applied from 1 August 2009. ⁴

What counts as wine today. Under Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, wine is obtained exclusively from the total or partial alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes or grape must. It needs at least 8.5 % vol actual alcohol in zones A and B and 9 % vol elsewhere, as a rule at most 15 % vol total alcohol, and at least 3.5 g of acidity per litre. ¹ The OIV sets the same 8.5 % vol floor worldwide and allows regional rules to lower it to 7 %. ³

What the label may say. A vintage year may appear only if at least 85 % of the grapes were harvested that year, and wine without a geographical indication that shows a vintage has to be certified. One variety may be named if it makes up at least 85 % of the wine; several varieties have to make up 100 % and appear in descending order. Origin is stated as wine of a country, or as European Union wine or a blend of wines from different countries of the European Union. ⁵

France: Vin de France. FranceAgriMer explains that wines without a geographical indication replaced the former vin de table category. When the grapes are harvested and made into wine in France, the label has to say Vin de France. Bottlers who name a variety or vintage need approval and certification of their volumes by FranceAgriMer under Decree No 2010-1327 of 5 November 2010. ⁷

Germany: Deutscher Wein. The former German Tafelwein is now sold as Deutscher Wein or Wein aus Deutschland. It needs at least 8.5 % vol actual alcohol; after enrichment the total may reach only 11.5 % vol for white and 12 % vol for red wine. Since 2011 varieties such as Riesling, Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau and Dornfelder may not be named on the label, and terms such as Weingut, Schloss, Kloster or barrique ageing are not allowed. ⁸

Ingredients and nutrition. Since 8 December 2023 the EU requires a list of ingredients and a nutrition declaration for wine. The label may show only the energy value and give the rest electronically, provided no user data are collected; allergens such as sulphites stay on the label. ⁶⁸

Why it matters to you. Table wine is a legal status, not a verdict on taste: it follows the same minimum alcohol and acidity rules as other wine, but promises no specific place of origin. ¹ Check the country or EU blend wording, and remember that a named variety or vintage has to be certified. ⁵ WHO stresses that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health. ⁹