List of ingredients for wine: rules and examples

Since December 2023, wines need a list of ingredients. It follows its own rules: the grapes come first, additives are named with their category, processing aids are left out. Here are the key points with examples.

Last updated: 28 October 2026

Structure and order

The list starts with the word “Ingredients:”. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. Ingredients making up less than 2% may be listed in any order at the end. The first ingredient is always “grapes”.

  • If the wine was enriched with sugar, “sucrose” follows.
  • If concentrated grape must was used, the ingredient is called “concentrated grape must”.
  • For sparkling wine, “tirage liqueur” and “expedition liqueur” are added.

Naming additives correctly

Additives are named with their category, followed by a colon and the name or E number, for example “acidity regulator: tartaric acid” or “stabiliser: gum arabic”. For acidity regulators and stabilisers, alternatives with “and/or” are allowed if different substances are used depending on the batch, for example “acidity regulators: tartaric acid and/or malic acid”.

What does not belong in the list

Processing aids are not listed. These include yeasts, enzymes, activated charcoal, fining agents and deacidification agents. Gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen or argon are not named with a category; instead, the statement “bottled under a protective atmosphere” is allowed.

Allergens

Sulphites must be declared above 10 mg/l. In the list of ingredients, allergens are emphasised, usually in bold. If the list is in the e-label, “Contains: sulphites” must also appear on the label. If egg or milk products such as lysozyme, egg white or casein were used, they must be declared as well, for example “lysozyme (egg)” or “casein (milk)”. Wine control authorities require this even if they were only used as processing aids. Precautionary statements such as “may contain traces of milk” are not recommended.

Examples

Dry white wine

Ingredients: grapes, preservative and antioxidant: sulphites.

Wine with acid adjustment, bottled under protective gas

Ingredients: grapes, acidity regulator: tartaric acid, preservative and antioxidant: sulphites. Bottled under a protective atmosphere.

Sparkling wine

Ingredients: grapes, tirage liqueur, expedition liqueur, preservative and antioxidant: sulphites.

The examples show the form, not the content of your wine. What counts is what was actually used.

Language

The list of ingredients must be in a language easily understood by consumers in the country of sale. If you export, you need it in several languages. This is easier in the e-label than on the label, because space is not limited.

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Sources

This page is an overview and not legal advice. The regulations and the competent wine control authorities are authoritative.