Many countries require certification of compositional requirements for wine relating to matters such as oenological practices, maximum levels of contaminants or toxicants, and maximum residue levels for agrichemicals. Some countries require assurances in respect of their wine composition rules in the form of certification or laboratory analysis requirements on imported wines entering their market. Other countries require laboratory analysis to be conducted once the wines have entered the market, sometimes at the expense of the exporter. These requirements can act as unwarranted barriers to trade, particularly when they do not relate to a proven health or safety issue in relation to wine, or when the exporting country already has adequate systems in place to address any such issues.
Noting that the MAA already provided that routine certification should not be required between parties for oenological practices, the Industry Section circulated a paper in 2006 proposing that a similar arrangement be considered for compositional aspects of wine that could not be defined as oenological practices. This proposal was taken up by the Regulators Forum and developed into Memorandum of Understanding on Certification Requirements (Certification MoU).
The Certification MoU provides that routine certification of wine composition should not be required other than on health and safety grounds, as well as requiring that any certification must be in line with Codex standards. While there are currently few instances of such certification requirements between WWTG parties, the Certification MoU establishes an important principle within WWTG and positions the WWTG for the potential entry of new members.
World Wine Trade Group
World Wine Trade Group