European Union wine regulations are common legislation related to wine existing within the
European Union (EU), the member states of which account for almost two-thirds of the world's wine production. These regulations form a part of the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of EU, and regulate such things as the maximum
vineyard surface allowed to individual EU member states, allowed
winemaking practices and principles for
wine classification and
labelling. The wine regulations exist to regulate total production in order to combat
overproduction of wine and to provide an underpinning to
Protected designations of origin (PDOs), among other things. In a sense, the wine regulations therefore try to protect both the producer and the consumer.