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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) today launched this year’s inspections of half-fermented wine. Just during Saturday, CAFIA inspectors checked 16 sellers of half-fermented wine, particularly in Brno and Olomouc regions where its appearance is the largest in present days.

Inspectors focused on inspection of correct labelling of beverage and obligatory indication of producer, inspection of accompanying documents and hygiene requirements during sale.

During today's prompt action, CAFIA inspected particularly stall sellers. Especially in the surroundings of Brno inspectors detected attempts to infringe provisions by indicating double labelling of beverage – both „half fermented wine“ and „half fermented must“. In several cases sellers also had to remove placards  with misleading and deceiving labelling. In contrast to the last year's inspections, infringements of hygiene requirements during sale were detected only sporadically. Missing accompanying documents and missing obligatory indication of  beverage producer were the most frequented deficiencies in the Olomouc region.

In the majority of cases CAFIA imposed measures for immediate remedy of deficiencies. In the Brno region, where according to the today’s inspection, stalls are mostly run by the same person, was this remedy imposed globally. It means that operators are responsible for ensuring that at all their places of sale everything will be in order by the next inspection. Today inspectors also decided on initiation of administrative procedure, because it was detected during reccuring inspection of one seller that he failed to respect previous remedies and sold half-fermented wine with deceiving labelling. Imposing of a  fine can be a  result of this administrative procedure.

According to the relevant provisions, it is not possible to label half-fermented must as half-fermented wine, if it is not produced from domestic grapes. European provisions enable designation „half-fermented must“ and they do not allow – as well as wine – to produce it from grapes imported from third countries. Needless to say, that it is not possible to produce it from other fruits than grapes and it is forbidden to add water into half-fermented wine. Sellers are not allowed to tap half-fermented wine into used but washed off „PET“ bottles and bottles must not be stored directly on the floor. According to the Wine Act, it is allowed to sell half-fermented wine only in period from 1st August to 30th November.

Since last year consumers are also right to know the producer of beverage on offer. This compulsory information is also important for so-called traceability of origin of product on offer. Therefore this information must be indicated at each stall or other place of sale. Last year CAFIA monitored several  atemmpts at falsification of this information, when sellers indicated non-existing producers including fictive business identification numbers. All these attempts ended in imposition of appreciable fine.

Today’s inspection  will serve CAFIA also to monitor current situation on the market and another inspections will repeat continuously during the whole season - not only at sellers but also at producers of half-fermented wine. In the next step, inspectors will take samples for inspection of actual alcohol content and added (exogenous) water.