Ahh - I missed that fortification note. Good catch! There sure is a lot of information combined in each of these applications, and it shows that the existing BJCP definitions of mead are somewhat at odds with Polish commercial meadmaking practice and European Union definitions, at least as far as fortifying a beverage that can still legally be called "mead" is concerned. So the commercial folks in Europe have more leeway than we, as hobbyist meadmakers do -- at least those of us over here in N. America.
I'm not sure about that. At least not if you want to call it one of the names within the Polish tradition. Sure you can fortify with "ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin" (in Dwojniak/Poltorak only) if you want to, but there's also a lot of things that you would have to do (such as a specific amount of aging required), or would not be allowed to do (such as adding sulfites).
If you on the other hand mean in terms of just being able to use the term mead, then you're absolutely right, because for that there's no real rules established.
no, but you both should remember. The EU can be a very large, blunt implement.
It's where you get the "labelling bureaucrats" poking their noses in and come up with some crap like, you can use the original methods and techniques if the mead is produced in the country of origin - if it's available for EU wide consumption, then it must also be labelled as "mead 18" i.e. the word mead followed by the % ABV but can also have a "local" name to explain to the citizens in the country of origin. It must also include on the label that if it's had any other additives that aren't derived purely from the fermentation of the original mix of water, flavouring and sweetening elements. etc etc etc!
As I say, very blunt instrument.
If there aren't any particular rules but there are "vested interests", then "they" will often convince someone within the EU organisation to come up with some.
The most recent case I can think of being the Spanish trying to (IMO) mis-appropriate the word "Brandy". So that anything that is just called "brandy" must only be made from grape based musts/wines. The UK government was just going to "rubber stamp" this, until almost at the last moment, the bloke who makes brandy from cider (that's hard cider to you lot in the US) went charging in to get an exception from that ruling. He now gets to sell his product as "cider brandy". Mainly because he can't (legally) call it Calvados - which to me, is fair enough, calvados has genuine regional connotations.
The Spanish lobby group should have been told where to go! After all, the word Brandy isn't actually a word, certainly not a spanish one. It's an english contraction of the original Dutch/Flemish term "brandt wijn" or burnt wine.
Hopefully the above example of a commercial related group using legislation to try and steal a word or term from an entirely different language, for commercial purposes, is pretty typical of some items that come within the EU remit.
Unfortunately for Poland, the production of alcoholic beverages, does, in part, do just that. It might not be a problem yet, but it's definitely one that's sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to "stir it up"......
