The European Union approved new production rules for Navarra’s 3 Riberas wines.

The European Union has published the approval of a standard amendment to the product specification for the protected geographical indication “3 Riberas,” a Spanish wine designation in Navarra, confirming a set of technical and commercial changes that affect how wines under the name may be produced, blended and bottled.

The notice appeared in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 9. It was issued under Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27, which governs the publication of approved standard amendments to geographical indication specifications. Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, through its food quality authorities, notified the change.

According to the published communication, the Spanish authority concluded that the revision qualifies as a standard amendment rather than a Union-level amendment because it does not alter the protected name, the use of the name or the product category, does not weaken the link between the wine and its geographic area, and does not create additional restrictions on trade.

For producers and bottlers, the most immediate change is that wines protected under “3 Riberas” may now be bottled outside the defined production area. The amendment also removes an earlier restriction that allowed bulk wine transport only from one registered operator to another. That shift could give wineries more flexibility in logistics and packaging, while still keeping the wines within the PGI control system.

The revised specification also introduces the option of partial dealcoholization for protected wines, using authorized winemaking practices. In addition, it allows wines with naturally low alcohol content to be produced without applying a dealcoholization process. These changes reflect a broader regulatory and market trend in Europe toward lower-alcohol wine styles and more flexible cellar practices.

Another notable adjustment concerns sweetening. Producers may now sweeten wines with rectified concentrated grape must, a permitted oenological input widely used in European winemaking under regulated conditions. The amendment also changes the rules for rosé production. Until now, rosé had to be made only from red grapes. Under the new wording, grapes from authorized red varieties must account for at least 85% of all grapes used. The specification also adds the possibility of blending rosé wine with red wine from later harvest years.

The list of authorized grape varieties has been expanded and updated. Newly admitted red varieties are Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Newly admitted white varieties are Albariño, Gros Manseng, Hondarrabi Zuri, Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng, Viognier and Oneca. The text also updates some variety names already in use: Macabeo is included as the more common name for Viura, and Malvasía is corrected to Malvasía Riojana for accuracy.

The EU publication says these changes affect several parts of both the product specification and the single document that summarizes key elements of the PGI. It also removes outdated references to wineries producing wines under “3 Riberas,” which had previously been listed in the specification. The notice describes that deletion as a drafting improvement that does not affect the geographical link.

The communication further updates information on the competent authority and control body responsible for oversight. As with other geographical indications in the EU system, compliance with the specification remains subject to official controls.

The published text identifies “3 Riberas” as falling under customs code 2204, covering wine made from fresh grapes, including fortified wines, and grape must other than that classified elsewhere. It also restates analytical limits tied to EU wine law, including sulfur dioxide thresholds of 180 mg/l for wines with less than 5 g/l of sugar and 230 mg/l for wines with 5 g/l or more. For aged wines, the maximum permitted volatile acidity increases by 0.06 g for each degree of alcohol above ten degrees.

Because this is a standard amendment already approved at national level and published by the European Commission, it does not reopen the designation itself or change its legal identity. Instead, it updates how “3 Riberas” wines may be made and marketed within the existing protected framework. For wineries in Navarra using the PGI, that means adjusting technical specifications, control documentation and labeling practices to match the new rules now recorded in the EU register.