The European Commission is prepared to exempt small winemakers from a planned ban on adding sugar to wine to increase the alcohol content, a German newspaper reported.

In a preview of an article Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper cited unnamed Commission sources as saying that small winemakers who would suffer economically from the ban would be exempt.

European Union Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel wants to ban this alcohol-boosting method, which is often used by winemakers in countries with cooler climates such as Germany, Luxembourg and Austria.

Germany, a major European winemaker with an influential voice in EU decision-making, particularly opposes a ban.

The ban would officially remain in place despite the exemption policy, the report said.

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