Quality control plays an important role in viticulture. This applies to the entire production process, from vineyard care to technical measures in the cellar, as well as the control of the end product through appropriate measures. The term "controlled" refers to compliance with guidelines that are regularly checked by the responsible state-licensed and/or private institutions or associations.
Quality management
Quality management (QM) basically refers to all organised measures that serve to improve products, processes or services of any kind. This includes the definition of quality requirements and testing procedures. Quality control is the ongoing monitoring of product quality during production as part of quality assurance. In accordance with the ISO 9000 quality management standards, the aim is not to optimise the quality of a product, but to maintain a specified and clearly defined quality level.
This may also mean ensuring a low level of quality. The product can be both material and a service provided or a process used. Quality control measures have also been common in viticulture for a long time, which requires corresponding standards. In Spanish Rioja, a document from 1650 already refers to quality control.
Production process (vineyard to cellar)
In winemaking, the production process is not just about obvious requirements such as hygiene, but also about clearly defined, measurable criteria. Quality control begins in the vineyard. A key point, for example, is setting the date for the grape harvest. The prerequisite for this is the best possible physiological ripeness of the grapes, which is determined using various measuring methods. There are further control points during fermentation (e.g. degree of conversion of sugar into alcohol), during ageing (e.g. sensory tests) and before bottling through analytical tests (e.g. determination of alcohol content and total extract). There are quality wine tests prescribed by the EU, which are carried out by official bodies. If the result is positive, the official test number is issued in Germany and the state test number in Austria.
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a well-known standardised procedure. Hazard analysis involves analysing risks to consumer health and the probability of their occurrence. Food and luxury foods in particular harbour a certain hazard potential. The entire manufacturing process is divided into phases, at the end of each of which a control point with corresponding measurement methods is defined. A set of rules based on this is IFS (International Featured Standards), which guarantees traceability of the process.
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation)
Proof of certification, for example in accordance with ISO 9000, is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for customer-supplier relationships in the international economy. This is also playing an increasingly important role in viticulture, especially in large companies. The DPW (Deutsche Prädikats Winzergenossenschaften) obliges its members to work in accordance with this standard.
Further information
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