Which EU rules apply first?
The same as everywhere in the EU: the compulsory particulars of article 119 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the allergens, and since 8 December 2023 the ingredients list and nutrition declaration of Regulation (EU) 2021/2117. The energy value and allergens are printed; the rest may sit behind a QR code.
What changes is the language. In French, the allergen line reads “contient des sulfites” and the word next to the QR code is “ingrédients”. The e-label page must offer French too. The complete EU list is in our labelling requirements guide.
Must the label be in French?
Yes. French law requires French for mandatory information on products sold in France, and EU law allows member states to impose their language (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, art. 15). Other languages may be added next to it.
What is the pregnancy warning?
Since 2007, every alcoholic drink sold in France must carry a warning against drinking during pregnancy: the pictogram of a pregnant woman with a drink in a crossed circle, or a set sentence. It applies to imported wines too. New rules on the size and contrast of the pictogram have been adopted; we check the version in force for each label.
This is the mention foreign producers miss most often. On a multilingual back label, the pictogram is the practical choice: it takes about 1 cm² and works without translation.
Do French wine labels need the Triman logo or Info-tri?
French law requires sorting information on many household packaging items, using the Triman logo and the Info-tri instructions. Whether and how it applies to a glass wine bottle depends on the packaging and on the current French texts, which have specific provisions for glass. We check it case by case.
What does an ingredients line look like in French?
The ingredients list uses the official French terms for the additive categories, set in the language versions of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1606 and Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. The example below is for a dry wine; your own list depends on what was used in your cellar.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Ingrédients |
| grapes | raisins |
| acidity regulator: tartaric acid | correcteur d'acidité : acide tartrique |
| preservative: sulphites | conservateur : sulfites |
| Contains sulphites | Contient des sulfites |
Example only. Each term must match what was actually added to your wine.
What do foreign producers most often get wrong in France?
The pregnancy warning, by far. Then French wording missing on the allergens and next to the QR code, and e-labels that do not work: a French consumer survey found that about one wine QR code in five led to an error or an incomplete page.
- No pregnancy pictogram or sentence.
- No “contient des sulfites” on the printed label.
- No “ingrédients” next to the QR code.
- A QR page that fails, is incomplete or shows marketing (CLCV survey, September 2025).
- Sorting information not checked for the packaging used.
Can one back label cover France and Belgium?
Partly. French-speaking Belgium reads the French text, but Belgium also has Dutch- and German-speaking regions, and the language depends on where the wine is sold. A French and Dutch allergen line with a bilingual e-label covers most Belgian retail.
The French pregnancy warning is not a Belgian requirement, but it causes no issue on a label sold in Belgium. Most producers keep one label for both markets.
What are the nutrition table headings in French?
The e-label page shows the nutrition declaration per 100 ml with the headings of annex XV of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, in French for this market. The order is fixed. Values below are for a dry red at 13.5 % vol.
| English | French | Per 100 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Énergie | 312 kJ / 75 kcal |
| Fat | Matières grasses | 0 g |
| of which saturates | dont acides gras saturés | 0 g |
| Carbohydrate | Glucides | 0.2 g |
| of which sugars | dont sucres | 0.2 g |
| Protein | Protéines | 0 g |
| Salt | Sel | 0 g |
How do I prepare a back label for France, step by step?
Start from your analysis and cellar records, write the text in the language of the market, check it against the EU and national rules, publish the e-label, then approve a proof before printing. The order matters: changing text after the layout is where most errors creep in.
- Collect the analysis of the vintage (alcohol, residual sugar, acidity) and the list of additives and fining agents used.
- Write the ingredients list and the allergen line in French: “contient des sulfites”, and “ingrédients” next to the QR code.
- Calculate the energy value per 100 ml and print it as “E (100 ml) = … kJ / … kcal”.
- Add the pregnancy warning in its current format, and check the sorting information for your packaging.
- Publish the e-label in French, without marketing or tracking, and test the QR code on several phones.
- Check the full proof at 1.2 mm of x-height before printing, and keep the file for the next vintage.
Who controls wine labels in France?
DGCCRF, the consumer protection authority, together with the customs for some aspects of wine. In controls run in 2022 and 2023, DGCCRF reported infractions in about 30 % of the producer sites inspected, 85 % of them minor and often about labelling.
Summary: a back label for France
| Point | What to put |
|---|---|
| Language | French (other languages may be added) |
| Allergens | Contient des sulfites (and œuf / lait if detectable) |
| Word next to the QR code | Ingrédients |
| Energy value | E (100 ml) = … kJ / … kcal |
| Pregnancy warning | Pictogram or set sentence, current format |
| Sorting information | Depending on the packaging, checked case by case |
| Controls | DGCCRF |
Questions from winemakers
Is the pregnant woman logo mandatory on wine sold in France?
A pregnancy warning is mandatory: the pictogram or the set sentence. Most labels use the pictogram.
Do Champagne labels follow special rules?
Yes: the sugar content term, the professional registration code of the producer and the rules of the Champagne appellation. Our French Champagne page covers them.
Must the e-label be in French for France?
Yes. Mandatory information for French consumers must be in French, including the ingredients and nutrition page.
What is the French word for back label?
Contre-étiquette. Our page for French winemakers is written under that name.
Sources
Selection criteria: we cite official texts first (EUR-Lex, national law portals), then named surveys with their publisher.
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (EUR-Lex)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 (EUR-Lex)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (EUR-Lex)
- CLCV, wine labelling survey, September 2025 (PDF)
- Économie Matin, DGCCRF controls in the wine sector
Updated on November 2, 2026 by the WineLex team