de.bev-cuvee.org · AS OF 2026-11-10
Germany
The business-to-business (B2B) hub for beverage alcohol: the trade rulebook for beverage alcohol, country by country, each section with its official sources.
As of 2026-11-10
Market status
Licensed. Excise warehouse operations require customs authorisation; requirements depend on activity.
Sources
Who can trade
Import, wholesale and distribution: A spirits tax-warehouse keeper requires customs permission. The application identifies the operator and proposed premises.
Other import and duty-paid wholesale or distribution permissions: Not yet sourced.
Business-to-business (B2B) online sale: Not yet sourced.
Sources
Customs and duty
Tariff headings: 2203 covers beer made from malt; 2204 covers wine of fresh grapes and certain grape must; 2206 covers other fermented beverages, including cider, and qualifying mixtures; 2208 covers spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages.
Import duty: The European Union common customs tariff applies. Detailed classification, origin, preferences and other tariff measures determine the duty. A four-digit heading alone does not establish the payable duty.
Excise: Beer taxation uses volume and degrees Plato, with reduced rates for qualifying independent small breweries. Sparkling wine and intermediate products have separate excise legislation.
Still-wine, cider and spirits excise treatment in detail: Not yet sourced.
Territorial treatment: The sparkling-wine excise territory excludes Büsingen and Helgoland. Treatment of other taxes and territories: Not yet sourced.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016R1872
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/common-customs-tariff-cct/calculation-customs-duties_en
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/online-services/online-services-and-databases-customs/eu-customs-tariff-taric_en
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bierstg_2009/__2.html
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/schaumwzwstg_2009/__1.html
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/schaumwzwstg_2009/BJNR189600009.html
Labelling
Required language(s): German. Packaged beer also requires an ingredient list.
Mandatory alcohol warnings: Alcopops carry an under-18 sale warning. Other general alcohol-health or pregnancy warnings: Not yet sourced.
Alcohol strength: Beverages above 1.2% alcohol by volume declare their actual strength; wine follows sector-specific rules.
Allergens: Relevant allergens require declaration, using “contains” if there is no ingredient list. Sulphites above 10 milligrams per litre require declaration.
Origin: Wine requires provenance. Other foods require origin where omission misleads; stated origin may trigger primary-ingredient origin disclosure.
Wine particulars: Ingredient and nutrition declarations apply, subject to transition for wine produced before 8 December 2023. Electronic disclosure is conditional; allergens and energy remain on the physical label.
Ingredient-dependent warnings: Sweetener and aspartame statements apply where relevant.
Sources
- https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=DOUE-L-2011-82311
- https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/media/news/new-rules-wine-labelling-enter-application-2023-12-07_en
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1190/oj/eng
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/lmidv/BJNR227210017.html
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/juschg/__9.html
Age and sale limits
Legal purchase age: Public sale and supply is restricted to age 16 for beer, wine, wine-like drinks and sparkling wine, and age 18 for other alcoholic drinks. The statute contains an accompanying-parent exception for certain younger persons for the first category.
Channel limits: Alcohol vending machines are restricted under youth-protection rules. Regional sale hours and wholesale exceptions: Not yet sourced.
Sources
Protected names
Protection framework: The European Commission maintains the legal registration database for protected food, wine and spirit names, alongside a register of protected traditional wine terms. Registration status and product specifications determine the applicable protection.
Verified examples: Rioja and Champagne are protected designations of origin for wine. These examples are not an exhaustive list.
Additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Sources
GTIN authority
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) member organisation: GS1 Germany.
Sources
Not yet sourced
Other import, wholesale and distribution permissions; online trade; detailed still-wine, cider and spirits excise; other territorial rules; general health warnings; regional sale hours and wholesale exceptions: Not yet sourced.
Additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Library catalogue: bev-cuvee.org · this page as data: mcp.bev-cuvee.org/mcp (get_rulebook, code de)