Wine Making
Quality Levels & Appellation System
In 1935, numerous laws passed to control the quality of French wine. They established the Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC) system, which is governed by a powerful oversight board. Consequently, France has one of the oldest systems for protected designation of origin for wine in the world, and strict laws concerning winemaking a production. Many other European systems are modelled after it. The word 'appellation' has been put use by other countries, sometimes in a much looser meaning. As European Union wine laws have been modeled after those of the French, this trend is likely to continue with further EU expansion.
Labelling Practices
Many French labels contain a wealth of information for the knowledgeable reader. With the exception of wines from the Alsace region and their Germanic influence, France had no tradition of varietal labelling of wines. Varietal labelling was not allowed under appellation rules. Since the New World wines made the varietal names 'household names' on the export market, in the late 20th century, more French wineries started to use varietal labelling. In general, varietal labelling is most common for the Vin de Pays category. Some AOC wines in simpler categories are also allowed to display varietal names, but these wines are rather few. For most AOC wines, if varietal names are found, it will be in small print on the back label.
If varietal names are displayed, common EU rules apply:
- If a single varietal name is used, the wine must be made from a minimum of 85% of this variety.
- If two or more varietal names are used, only the displayed varieties are allowed and they must generally appear in descending order.
