Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements by Country

Yes. FAA law prohibits an importer from removing wine containers containing wine containing 7% alcohol per volume of alcohol or more from the Customs Guard for consumption (if the distance is for sale or any other commercial purpose), unless the importer has a label approval certificate, commonly known as COLA. issued by TTB for this wine. Alcoholic beverages to which artificial flavouring preparations have been added to simulate the `taste` or sensory experience of vodka, but which do not contain vodka, are considered acceptable provided that consumers are clearly informed that the term `flavoured vodka` refers to an artificial flavouring preparation and not to the addition of vodka as an ingredient. As with all products, the label and advertisement must not be false or misleading or give a false impression as to the composition of the product. If proof is provided, it must appear at least once on the FRONT of the container with the indication of the volume of alcohol and distinguished from the indication of alcohol by volume by parentheses, square brackets, dots or otherwise and must not be more visible than the indication alcohol by volume. For all sorts of additional information from TTB about beer, including information about the label approval process and authorized changes to already approved labels, check out their beer labeling resources. Much of what is needed for beer is also needed for wine labeling, sometimes with only slight variations. The full requirements can be found on the respective mandatory information pages.

The common name of an alcoholic beverage without a prescribed standard is the name by which the food is commonly known, or a name that is not generic and describes the product. Do you want to start your new brand or rename your alcohol? Examples of our work can be found here. Geographical origin is not only required by the supervisory authorities. This is something that customers also check for alcohol labeling. A wine connoisseur may simply ignore a bottle of wine that has no country of origin. The country of origin often describes the characteristic properties of the product, making it a crucial part of the label. For example, the labels on St. Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon red wine clearly mention that they come from Australia. Wine offered for sale to consumers and packed in a 750 ml container not exceeding 360 mm may indicate the net quantity in letters at least 3.3 mm high [229(3), SFCR]. This is an exception to the type height requirements for net quantity and means that containers of 750 ml of wine (not more than 360 mm) with a main display area of more than 258 square centimetres (40 square inches) is a smaller type for reporting the net quantity of at least 3.3 mm instead of 6.4 mm (or instead of 9.5 mm or 12.7 mm, depending on the main display area).

The use of this exception is optional. The wine so packaged can also declare the net quantity using the type height described in the Readability and Location section of the Net Quantity page. Non-standard alcoholic beverages (for which there is no standard in section 2 of the RIS) require a complete list of ingredients and their constituents [B.01.008(1)(b), FDR]. Therefore, products such as sake, cocktails (martinis, mojitos, etc.), pernod and ouzo require a list of ingredients. Alcohol content is the alcohol content per volume of liquid. An indication of alcohol content is optional, unless required or prohibited by state laws. Unless the same law of the State states otherwise, the alcohol content must be expressed as a percentage by volume. The alcoholic strength by volume is expressed as follows: `ALCOHOL (ALC) % BY VOLUME (VOL)` or `ALCOHOL (ALC) AS A PERCENTAGE BY VOLUME` or `PERCENTAGE OF ALCOHOL (ALC) BY VOLUME (VOL)` or `% ALCOHOL (ALC)/VOLUME (VOL)` The alcohol content shall be accurate to 0,1 %.

Excluding malt beverages with an alcohol content of less than 0,5 % by volume, the alcohol content may be expressed to the nearest 0,01 %. These terms can also be used to describe malt-based beverages on the label: an exception is wine with an alcohol content of 14 percent by volume or less. In this case, alcoholic strength by volume may be included, but is not required as long as the type denomination `table wine` or `light wine` appears on the label as a mandatory class/type designation. Where table wine or light wine is made from things other than grapes, “TABLE WINE” or “LIGHT WINE” must be qualified with the specific or general class of the product from which the wine was made. So, “CHERRY TABLE WINE” or “LIGHT RICE WINE” (Again, take a look at the table on wine classes and varieties here.) Historically, the term “light” is recognized in relation to a rum as a description of the color and/or taste of the product and therefore does not need to be further qualified when used in this way. The indication “light” on rum does not trigger a nutritional table [B.01.513(2), FDR]. The section on alcoholic beverages on the use of the term “light” contains additional information. The country of origin must appear on the labels of all imported spirit drinks, whether bottled, packaged or bottled before or after importation. The common name must appear on food labels in English and French [B.01.012(2), RIS; 206(1), SFCR].

The following common names for alcoholic beverages are considered bilingual common names in accordance with section B.01.012(10) of the RIS: Alcohol content or alcohol content by volume must be expressed as follows: “PERCENTAGE OF ALCOHOL (ALC) VOL.” By law, numerical information on alcohol content on wine labels is required. Alcoholic beverages subject to the standards prescribed in Division 2 of Part B of the RIS include whiskey, rum, gin, spirit, liqueurs and spirits, vodka, tequila, mezcal, wine, cider and beer. In addition, the prescribed standard for icewine is included in Volume 8 of the Canadian Standards of Identity, which is incorporated into the SFCR by Reference (IbR). There are no federal pre-approval requirements for wine labels that contain less than 7% alcohol by volume. The TTB COLA requirement is found in the FAA Act, which does not apply to wine containing less than 7% alcohol by volume, and the FDA does not approve labels for food products. “Government Warning: According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. Drinking alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or use machinery and can cause health problems. Optional information on the DSGuide label on the labelling of distilled spirits with this optional information Section B.02.132 of the RIS establishes mandatory common names or qualified common names as described below for beer based on alcohol content. Saccharin is a sweetener that is added to drinks, sweets and medicines.