The blending rules

Australia’s blending rules are outlined in sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Wine Australia Regulations 2018 (Cth) and prescribe the minimum compositional requirements for making vintage, variety and Geographical Indication (GI) claims. Compliance with the blending rules is monitored through the Label Integrity Program. There are various offences under the Wine Australia Act 2013 (Cth) (Act) that apply to the sale and export of wine that does not comply with the blending rules.

The table below provides a summary of the blending rules. Any claim must be listed in descending order of its proportion in the wine.

Vintage

A vintage is the year in which the grapes were harvested. In the case of fruit harvested after 1 September in a calendar year and on or before 31 December, the following calendar year is the effective vintage date. Be careful about using other dates on labels to avoid misleading as to the vintage of the wine.

Variety

Only grape varieties recognised by one of the following organisations are permitted to be claimed on Australian wine labels:

• OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine)
• UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants)
• IPGRI (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute).

Only variety names or their synonyms that appear on one of these lists may be claimed on labels. Made up names that resemble varieties, cannot be misleadingly used.

Download the OIV list of vine varieties and their synonyms permitted for use by Australia.

For the purpose of determining the proportion of the varieties, the quantity of products used for possible sweetening and cultures of microorganisms, not exceeding a total of 50 mL/L (5 per cent), must be excluded.

Geographical Indication

A GI is a word or expression used in the description and presentation of a wine that identifies the goods as originating in a country, or in a region or locality in that country, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the wine is essentially attributable to their geographical origin.

GIs protected under Australian law are published in the Register of Protected Geographical Indications and Other Terms Register which is maintained by Wine Australia.

Exported ‘wine products’ are not permitted to include a GI (other than ‘Australia’) in their description and presentation.

Description and presentation

The Register contains protected Australian and European GIs and other terms including European Traditional Expressions (TEs), Australian fortified wine terms and additional terms.

Part VIB of the Act makes it an offence to sell, export or import a wine described or presented with a term on the Register that it is not entitled to. The rules apply even when a protected term is accompanied by expressions such as ‘kind’, ‘type’, ‘style’, ‘imitation’, ‘method’, or any such similar expression, and even when a term ‘so resembles’ a protected term in a way that is likely to mislead. Accordingly, descriptors such as ‘Barossa style’ or ‘Champagne method’ are not permitted, regardless of whether they are likely to mislead as to origin.

There are exceptions to the offence provisions for:

• GIs registered for more than one place
• inclusion of the name of an individual who manufactured, sold, exported or imported the wine
• inclusion of the address of a winery at which the wine was manufactured
• common English words that are used in good faith and where the label indicates the true origin of the wine.

Read more in the using protected terms on the GI and TE frequently asked questions. Below are some examples of labels described and presented with GIs in breach of the Act.