Hear from experts at Wine Australia and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) regarding recent changes to wine labelling requirements in the European Union (EU).
Following the webinar that Wine Australia conducted on 29 August 2023 and the developments that have taken place since then, Wine Australia, together with the AWRI, is hosted a webinar for Australian wine exporters on 21 March 2024 regarding recent changes to wine labelling requirements in the EU.
For each SKU produced on or after 8 December 2023, producers will be required to disclose:
- a nutrition declaration
- an energy value, and
- a list of ingredients.
Producers will be able to decide to display nutrition declarations and lists of ingredients on-label or “off-label” (i.e. via electronic means using, for example, a link or QR code which appears on a product’s label), provided certain conditions are met.
What you can expect from the webinar
Ned Hewitson (Wine Australia Legal Counsel and Acting General Manager, Regulation and Market Access) and Dr. Eric Wilkes (AWRI General Manager, Regulatory and Commercial Affairs) covered the changes to EU legislation and how they impact Australian wine businesses.
A comprehensive explanation of the EU labelling changes and how they will affect Australian wines in market can be read in our guidance paper. The AWRI has also provided comprehensive information abut the changes in the institute's Technical Notes as well as its own 13 December webinar.
This webinar was recorded.
For those who cannot attend, the Wine Australia website will be updated with any new information following the session.
Speakers
Ned Hewitson
Ned is Legal Counsel at Wine Australia and acting General Manager of Regulation and Market Access. As acting General Manager of Regulation and Market Access, Ned is responsible for managing the regulatory and market access functions of the organisation, including the export controls and domestic labelling regulation.
Ned has a deep and diverse wine industry background, which includes undertaking vintages in the Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale; working in various domestic and foreign sales, distribution, retail and hospitality roles; show judging; and teaching undergraduate students. Prior to commencing at Wine Australia, Ned worked for several years as a wine industry focussed corporate and commercial solicitor.
Ned holds a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours), a Bachelor of Commerce (CorpFin), a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and a WSET Diploma in Wines. Ned has participated as a delegate at meetings of the World Wine Trade Group and FIVS and is a member of the International Wine Law Association (Australasian Chapter).
Eric Wilkes
Eric has worked in the beverage industry since completing his PhD in chemistry at the University of Newcastle in 1997, where he held both teaching and technical positions. Initially spending four years based in the Hunter Valley with the then independent Rosemount Estates he moved to SA in 2001 to take up the role of Group Chemist with the Foster’s Wine Group based at the Wolf Blass Winery in the Barossa Valley.
In 2007 he accepted the role of Global Manager Analytical Services with the Foster’s Group overseeing the integration and alignment of testing and technical services across their whole beverage portfolio on three continents. In 2010 he joined P&N Beverages in Sydney as National Technical Manager with responsibility for new product development, product QA, customer feedback and product compliance before returning to the wine industry in 2011 where he is the Group Manager, Commercial Service at the Australian Wine Research Institute.
Current areas of research include, new methods for wine analysis, environmental impacts of wine production, wine stability, methods to determine authenticity and the impact of metals on wine development.
He is a past Chair of the Interwinery Analysis Group, is an active member of a number of international working groups on wine analysis and export regulations, co-author of a book on wine analysis and a regular speaker at national and international regulatory and wine chemistry conferences.