How we check a label, before it is printed
WineLex is an online service that writes your wine back label under Regulation (EU) 2021/2117, has it checked by a specialist before printing, hosts the QR-code e-label page in the language of each country of sale, updates it every vintage and delivers the printed labels. This page explains how the check works, what it covers and what it does not.
A specialist replies within 24 business hours. No commitment.
How does the check work, step by step?
We collect your label, analysis and countries of sale, draft the back label and e-label from a checklist built on the EU and national texts, have a specialist review every mention, and send you a proof with the source of each one. Nothing is printed before your written approval.
- We collect the label, the analysis values, the oenological practices, the fining agents and the countries of sale.
- We draft the back label and the e-label from our checklist. Software helps with the first draft and with the arithmetic; it never has the last word.
- A labelling specialist reviews every mention, country by country, and notes the source of each one.
- You receive a proof with the sources. Nothing is printed before your written approval.
- At each vintage, or when a text changes, we review the label and the e-label again.
What is on the checklist?
About thirty points grouped in six families: the identity of the wine, the quantities, the operators, the allergens, the ingredients and nutrition, and the national rules of each country of sale. Each point is tied to an article of a published text.
- Identity: category, PDO or PGI term, traditional terms, vintage and variety rules if shown.
- Quantities: alcoholic strength, nominal volume, minimum figure heights, field of vision.
- Operators: bottler, importer, provenance, lot.
- Allergens: sulphites, egg, milk, wording in each language, printed on the label.
- Ingredients and nutrition: list, additive categories, energy value, the word “ingredients” next to the QR, the e-label page.
- National rules: pregnancy pictogram and sorting information in France, environmental labelling in Italy, quality control numbers in Germany and Austria, Irish health warnings when they apply.
What do we not promise?
We do not claim that a label is approved by any authority: no authority approves wine labels in advance in the EU. The winery remains responsible for its labels. Our commitment is a documented check against the published texts, before printing, with the source of each mention.
Some points depend on facts only you know: the additives actually used, the fining agents, the origin of the grapes. We ask for them and write what you declare. Where a rule is unclear or under discussion, we say so in writing instead of guessing.
How is the check documented?
Every proof we send carries the source of each mention: the regulation, the article and a link to EUR-Lex or to the national text. You keep this file. If a control authority asks why a mention is worded as it is, the answer is already written down.
When we disagree with something on your current label, we say why and cite the text. When a point is a matter of interpretation, we explain the options and leave the choice to you.
What do we need from you, and what stays your decision?
We need the facts only you know: the analysis, the additives and fining agents used, the countries of sale, the importer. The choices stay yours: the design, the languages, the optional mentions, and the final approval of the proof.
How do we keep up with changes in the rules?
We follow the EUR-Lex texts and the national rules of each market, and we review the labels and e-labels of our clients when a text changes. The rules have moved several times since 2023: the November 2023 clarification on “ingredients”, Regulation (EU) 2026/471 and its May 2026 correction, the Irish health warnings.
The texts we check against
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Common market organisation, wine labelling (art. 119 to 122).
- Regulation (EU) 2021/2117
Adds the list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration for wine.
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33
Detailed rules on wine labelling and presentation.
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1606
Amends 2019/33: electronic labels, ingredients terms.
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011
Food information: font size (art. 13), allergens (art. 21), energy factors (annex XIV).
- Directive 2011/91/EU
Lot identification.
Sources
Selection criteria: we cite official texts first (EUR-Lex, national law portals), then named surveys with their publisher.
Send us your current label
A photo or a PDF is enough. We tell you what is missing for each country where you sell, and what it would cost to fix.
Label check: Free · Back label + e-label: from €290 / year
A specialist replies within 24 business hours. No commitment.