Exporting Wine: Labelling Guidelines for China
A1 Name of Product
The name of the product is mandatory in China. The words ‘grape wine’ should be sufficient, however it is advisable to qualify this with ‘red’, ‘white’, ‘sparkling’, ‘semi-sparkling, ‘fortified’, ‘sweetened fortified’ etc. For definitions of these categories please see A9.
A2 Ingredient List
As wine can be considered to be made from a single raw material it should be exempt from the requirement for ingredient listing. Nevertheless, sweeteners, preservatives and added colour (legal in the case of fortified wine only) need to be declared. The name of the substance (sulphur dioxide, sorbic acid, caramel etc) should be declared rather than the generic category, for example, ‘preservative’ or ‘colour’. Added acids should also be declared.
A3 Alcohol Statement
The alcohol format is prescribed in Chinese regulations. The alcohol statement should be in the form ‘Alcoholic strength xx.x% vol’. (Apparently % Mass is also acceptable and this may account for some of the reported disparity between results obtained from testing authorities within China).
The tolerance between the actual and the stated alcohol is +/- 1.0% in China.
A4 Volume Statement
The volume statement must appear on the label. The statement must be on the same display panel as the word ‘wine’. This should be marked as ‘net content xxx Ml (ml)’ for bottle sizes under a litre, or ‘net content x Litres (l)’ for bottle sizes over a litre. For packages up to and including 200ml the minimum print height is 3mm. From 200ml up to and including 1 litre the minimum print height is 4mm. For packages greater than 1 litre the minimum print height is 6mm.
A5 Name and Address
The name and address of the Chinese agent, importer or distributor must be shown on the label. The name and address of the producer is not mandatory, however if included does not need to be translated into Chinese characters.
A6 Country of Origin
A country of origin statement is mandatory. Importers will usually request a Certificate of Origin to confirm this claim. Certificates of Origin can be obtained by state Chambers of Commerce.
