The more than seven thousand litres of wine were bottled and labelled, ready to be introduced onto the market, said ASAE in a press release sent to Lusa agency.

The situation, identified in Gouveia, in the Guarda district, led to the initiation of an administrative offense process, with 1,714 litres of rosé wine, 5,290 litres of white wine and 20,870 labels being seized, with an estimated value of €19,000.

According to ASAE, in the case of wine without a designation of origin or geographical indication, the bottler or person responsible for marketing the product is obliged to deliver “a copy of the labels from the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV), under the legal terms defined by this competent entity”, before introducing the wine into the national market or that of other countries.

According to the press release, in the case of the seized wine, the labelling had not been communicated to IVV.

The seizure of the wine in Gouveia, in the district of Guarda, occurred in an “inspection operation aimed at detecting possible fraudulent practices in the production and marketing of wine products”.

The operation was carried out through the Specialized Wine Products Brigade of the Center Regional Unit.

“The wine sector is one of the most relevant sectors in the national economy, which is why ASAE will continue to monitor and reinforce inspection actions in this sector, in order to safeguard foodstuffs from possible misleading practices, throughout the national territory”.