Regulatory matters
The production, packaging, labelling, distribution and sale of wine in the UK is governed by a mass of laws, regulations, codes of practice and guidance. All those involved in the supply chain need to be aware of the legal requirements which they are, or could be, held responsible for meeting.
Products identified as dangerous can be made subject to mandatory recall. Producers and others involved in the UK supply chain can face fines, and even imprisonment, if they place unsafe products on the market or fail to act with due diligence. Many other statutory and regulatory provisions can give rise to criminal proceedings and sanctions.
In many of these statutory and regulatory contexts, responsibility for compliance is placed upon the person who imports the product into the UK. For example, the importer is responsible for satisfying import licensing requirements, and will be liable for any import duty, excise duty and/or import VAT that may be payable. The importer of a defective product will have liability for that product under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. See Defective products. The importer will also, usually, be responsible for the authenticity, labelling and quality of the wine he imports into the UK, and for initiating any necessary product recall.
EU wine law
The EU Europa site has a guide to EU law affecting the wine sector, starting with Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 of 29 April 2008 on the common organisation of the market in wine, and then listing the further Regulations made pursuant to it. This is all contained within the Europa Guide to the EU wine sector.
EU/UK food/wine law and regulation
Wine Standards
The UK Food Standards Agency provides very useful information and advice on wine standards, including ............
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