Green light for grape beer for Masaf, clarification arrives
Beers produced with ingredients from the winemaking world, such as grapes or grape must, may be marketed as beer as long as the presence of these ingredients is clearly indicated in the sales name.
According to the administration's interpretation, Italian law already permits the addition of characterizing food ingredients to beer. In these cases, however, the law requires the product name to explicitly indicate the ingredient used, thus ensuring clear and transparent communication to the consumer.
This means that, if grapes or grape must are used, the product can be sold under names such as “grape beer” or “beer with grape must,” while still maintaining the product category of beer.
The reference to the beer regulation
The ICQRF's opinion specifically refers to a provision in the 1962 Italian law on beer production. The relevant article establishes that, when ingredients other than traditional ones are added to the beverage, the sales name must be supplemented with the name of the characterizing substance.
The clarification was requested by small craft breweries to resolve some application uncertainties that had generated disputes and administrative sanctions in various parts of the country in recent years. Some producers had been subject to inspections and seizures related to the presence of ingredients from the wine sector.
According to what Unionbirrai explained to Ansa, the objective of the consultation was to obtain an official position that could be applied uniformly throughout the country.
The Case of Italian Grape Ales
The issue specifically concerns a style that has gained visibility and importance in the international brewing scene in recent years: so-called Italian Grape Ales. These beers are produced with the addition of grapes, must, or winemaking derivatives, a practice that combines two deeply rooted production traditions in the country.
This approach has given rise to a category considered one of the most recognizable innovations of the Italian craft beer movement. The outcome can vary greatly depending on the techniques employed and the grape varieties used, creating products with aromatic characteristics partly linked to the world of wine.
A clarification for the craft beer market
The ICQRF's opinion does not introduce new legislation but provides an official interpretation of existing rules. However, for the craft brewing sector, the document represents a significant step forward because it more precisely defines the terms by which these products can be marketed. For producers, explicitly listing the ingredient on the label therefore becomes a necessary condition for continuing to offer beers made with grapes or grape must without departing from the legal category of beer.