Ireland’s new warning labels risk driving wineries from the market

A new legal requirement for health warnings on alcoholic drinks sold in Ireland may drive wineries away from supplying the market, an Irish Master of Wine told db this week.

According to Dublin-based Barbara Boyle MW, who is a director and wine buyer for Irish wholesale company WineMason, bright red, cigarette-style health warning messages for alcoholic products is becoming a major barrier to trading.

Speaking to db at Wine Paris this week, where Boyle was meeting with her wine suppliers from around the world, she said that the new labelling rules were “throwing up lots of different issues,” adding that as a result, “some may decide to leave the market.”

Although she stated, “The wineries we work with will do their upmost to stay in the market,” she added, But it is a concern that wineries may decide to leave the market.”

The new labelling regulations were published in July 2024, and by May 2026, all wines, irrespective of the vintage or when they were shipped, must feature the health warnings.

As shown above, the laws insist that the back-labels must bear warnings about the danger of drinking alcohol in relation to liver disease as well as when pregnant, and mention a link between alcohol and fatal cancers. In addition, the label must state the quantity of grams of alcohol and the calorie content of the product, with rules on the text size, font, and colour – with red being mandatory, specifically Pantone reference 2035.

Boyle said that as a result of the rules, Ireland’s wine importers were having to commit to wine in advance for labelling, or reducing the number of lines.

Meanwhile, some wine producers are, Boyle suggested, refusing to comply with the new labelling laws, ruling themselves out of supplying the market.

Notably, the laws make Ireland the first member of the European Union to mandate such health warnings on alcoholic drinks.

With the EU proposing a harmonised approach to wine labelling across member states, the standalone approach by Ireland has been accused of undermining the Single Market, and presenting a barrier to trade.

Boyle said that not only is the red print and specific Pantone reference proving “especially difficult for many wine producers”, but also pointed out that “the calorie and grams per litre information required is different to what is required by EU law.”

As reported by db when the new labelling laws for Ireland were announced, the reaction from wine producers in Europe was scathing, with some arguing that adding such warnings incorrectly conflates moderate drinking with liver disease and cancer. The Italian wine industry has been especially incensed by Dublin’s plans.

Following such uproar, the CEEV, which represents wine companies in the European Union, submitted a complaint accusing the Irish government of imposing “disproportionate” rules that were “never properly justified”.

In particular, the CEEV accused the rules of forming a “barrier to trade contrary to Articles 34 and 36 of the Treaty of Functioning of the EU, thereby jeopardising the EU Single market”.

Despite such lobbying, the Irish government is going ahead with the warnings, among other measures, such as controls on the marketing of alcoholic drinks, which were announced as part a of piece of Irish legislation called the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018.

Signed into law by Ireland’s president Michael D.Higgins in October 2018, it has already led to a number of changes to alcohol retailing and marketing in the nation, including minimum unit pricing and the banning of promotions as well as curtailing access to alcohol in retail stores with barriers. The health warnings are “the final piece of all of the changes we have had over the past few years,” according to Boyle.

Please see below for the labelling regulations for alcoholic drinks, which is taken from section 12 from the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018.

Public Health Regulations 2023 – labelling requirements:

From 22 May 2026, alcohol product containers must contain the following warnings and health information:

• “Drinking alcohol causes liver disease”.
• A warning symbol for drinking when pregnant.
• “There is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers”.
• The quantity of grams of alcohol and the energy value expressed in kilojoules and kilocalories contained in the container concerned.
• “Visit www.askaboutalcohol.ie”.

The text of the health warnings shall be:

1. (a)  printed in Times New Roman bold type on a white background;
2. (b)  printed in upper-case type;
3. (c)  printed in colour Pantone reference 2035 or a like red colour and in indelible ink;
4. (d) printed at such a font size so as to occupy the greatest possible proportion of the surface reserved for the text of the warning;
5. (e) printed in normal, weighted, regular typeface;
6. (f) positioned at the centre of each surface reserved for such warnings and in the same direction as the majority of other written information on the container.

Size & particulars of label on alcohol container:

The combined area reserved for the health warnings, health symbol and health information shall have a width of not less than 60 millimetres and a height of not less than 30 millimetres and shall be surrounded by a black border not less than one millimetre and not more than 2 millimetres which shall appear outside the combined area reserved for the health warnings

The health warnings, health symbol and health information on the container of an alcohol product shall be –

1. (a)  included as part of the manufacturer’s label attached to the container of the alcohol product,
2. (b)  included on a sticker affixed to the container of the alcohol product, or
3. (c)  stencilled, marked, embossed or impressed on the container of the alcohol product.

The health warnings, health symbol and health information included on the container of an alcohol product shall be affixed in a manner that ensures –

(a) that they are not easily removable, and (b) that they remain intact when the container of the alcohol product is opened.

Related news

Ireland becomes first country with health info on alcohol labels

Anger in Italy over Ireland's alcohol health warning plans

Breaking: Amendments made to alcohol and health recommendations in Europe