EU Cracks Down On Sugar

Filed in archive Wine News on August 3, 2007

The European Union (EU) is considering a ban on the use of sugar in winemaking (which is used to increase alcohol content). This is an attempt to possibly reduce the amount of wine that goes unsold every year. Overproduction is becoming a problem to which the EU is seeking out solution. Sussex wine producers are unhappy about the decision and fear that it will ultimately hurt their profits.

From The Argus:

Industry experts predict the ban will push prices of UK bottles higher and cause damage to businesses, especially those which are emerging and already find it hard to sell their products in the face of foreign competition...

Instead of sucrose winemakers could use 'grape dust', another type of alcohol booster formed from grapes. However this would raise the price of production.

Wine producers are upset that this ban would single out the UK.