Senior Expert Office for the Import Control of Wine

According to § 35 of the Wine Monitoring Ordinance, the BfR is the senior expert office for the import control of wine.

Senior expert reports are prepared when samples of imported wines from non-EU countries taken by customs officials are queried by the initial expert office and the second expert office comes to a deviating conclusion. The first and second expert offices are official wine monitoring offices of the federal states.

The definitive assessment of the sample by the senior expert office is binding in every case for the customs authority. Given its decisive role, the senior expert office must meet the highest expectations in respect of analysis and assessment. Its tasks, therefore, include raising the level of scientific knowledge in order to improve and harmonise the control options and developing new methods for the purpose of uncovering increasingly sophisticated adulterations. The main focus of its work is on questions relating to the origin, the type of grape or the detection of unauthorised oenological methods for wine.