BDX Wine Law

Question 1

When was the INAO created, and when were the first AOC’s awarded?

Answer 1

1935

1936

Question 2

When did the INAO transition from the Institute National des Appellations d’Origine to L’Institute National de l’Origine et de la Qualité, and in the process, come in line with EU regulations?

Answer 2

2007

Question 3

When was VDQS created?

Answer 3

1949, as a stepping stone to AOC

Question 4

Currently, are hybrid varieties allowed for AOP wines?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

Currently, what % of grapes must be from the stated AOP to qualify?

Answer 5

100.00%

Question 6

Are hybrid varieties allowed for IGP wines?

Answer 6

Yes

Question 7

What % of grapes must be from the stated IGP to qualify?

Answer 7

85.00%

Question 8

What are the three levels of IGP?

Answer 8

Regional
Departmental
Local

Question 9

What are the regional IGP zones?

Answer 9

Pays d'Oc IGP (Languedoc-Rousillon)
Val de Loire IGP (Loire)
Comtés Rhodaniens IGP (Northern Rhône, Jura, Savoie)
Méditerranée IGP (Southeast France)
Atlantique IGP (Bordeaux and Charante
Comté Tolosan IGP (Sud Ouest)

Question 10

Maximum yield for IGP wines?

Answer 10

White: 90 hl/ha
Red/Rosé: 85 hl/ha
Total: 100 hl/ha

Question 11

As of 2009, what may be listed on the label for VDT wines?

Answer 11

Vintage, Varietal, and Place of Origin

Question 12

What is France’s largest viticultural area by acreage?

Answer 12

Bordeaux (123,834ha)

Question 13

What are courtiers?

Answer 13

Brokers of wine in the Médoc, which supplied chateaux with financial backing in exchange for control over trade.

Question 14

What is Bordeaux mixture, and what does it combat?

Answer 14

Copper sulfate, lime, water; fungal problems

Question 15

What is millerandage?

Answer 15

Hens and chicks, or clusters that produce unevenly sized berries.

Question 16

What is Coulure?

Answer 16

shatter - occurring in spring, when cold and wet or unseasonably high temperatures cause flowers to stay closed and not be fertilized. May result in undeveloped grapes falling off, or irregular, less compact bunches

Question 17

What is the max % of Merlot Blanc, Ugni Blanc, and Colombard in white Bordeaux?

Answer 17

30% combined

Question 18

Minimum must weight for red wines of the Left Bank?

Answer 18

180g/L; 189 for Merlot (Merlot accumulates sugar much faster than the other varieties)

Question 19

Authorized styles for Bordeaux Supérieur?

Answer 19

Rouge, Blanc Demi-Sec/Moelleux

Question 20

What are jalles?

Answer 20

The drainage channels of the Médoc

Question 21

When was Cru Artisan formally recognized, and with what vintage did labeling begin?

Answer 21

2002

2005

Question 22

When was Cru Bourgeois created, and what were the original categories?

Answer 22

1936
Cru Bourgeois
Cru Bourgeois Superiéur
Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

Question 23

When was the Cru Bourgeois classification abolished, and when did the new designation come into effect?

Answer 23

2003

2010, for the 2008 vintage.

Question 24

Authorized styles for Médoc/Haut-Médoc?

Answer 24

RED ONLY

Question 25

What are the authorized styles for Graves Supérieures?

Answer 25

Sweet White only - 221 g/L (must weight), 34 g/l (RS)

Question 26

What are the authorized styles for Pessac-Léognan?

Answer 26

Rouge, Blanc Sec

Question 27

When was the Pessac-Léognan AOC established?

Answer 27

1987

Question 28

What are the authorized styles for Entre-Deux-Mers AOP?

Answer 28

Blanc Sec only

Question 29

What is the geographic subzone of Bordeaux AOP and Entre-Deux-Mers AOP?

Answer 29

Haut-Benauge, lying along the border of Côtes de Bordeaux Saint Macaire.

Question 30

What are the authorized styles for Graves de Vayres AOP?

Answer 30

Rouge, Blanc, Blanc Sec

Question 31

What is the difference between Blanc and Blanc Sec in Graves de Vayres?

Answer 31

Blanc Sec has 4g/L RS.

Question 32

How many producers carry the Cru Artisan designation?

Answer 32

44

Question 33

What forest protects the Médoc from Atlantic winds?

Answer 33

Fôret de Landes

Question 34

Bordeaux lies along what latitudinal parallel?

Answer 34

45º

Question 35

What factors affect Bordeaux’s climate?

Answer 35

Proximity to the Gironde estuary results in a maritime climate; the Atlantic Gulf Stream current, carrying warm water up from the Caribbean, warms the weather off Bordeaux’s coast.
It is also the rainiest major wine region in France - 950mm annually - and rain falls throughout the year, hence its historic troubles with washout and rot.
Bordeaux does not experience a sizable diurnal shift, making it unique in major growing regions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Question 36

Which two Bordeaux varieties are not related to the others?

Answer 36

Muscadelle and Petit Verdot

Question 37

What is the most planted red grape in Bordeaux (and also France)?

Answer 37

Merlot, at 63% of the Bordelais vignoble.

Question 38

What market drove the development of Sauternes and Barsac as sweet wine regions in the 1600’s?

Answer 38

The introduction of the Dutch into the market after trade with England collapsed at the end of the Hundred Year’s War; the English taste for lighter reds was supplanted by the Dutch taste for sweet wines and rich reds.

Question 39

What is Liv-Ex?

Answer 39

The London International Vintners Exchange, a marketplace for trading wine, which also monitors and publishes price indices that influence trends in the wine world in general.

Question 40

When did château bottling become compulsory for classified estates in the Médoc?

Answer 40

1972

Question 41

Why is Guyot popular in the Médoc and on the right bank, but Cordon de Royat in sweet wine appellations?

Answer 41

Cordon de Royat training tends to produce smaller berries more susceptible to botrytis; guyot cane-training produces larger berries that are more susceptible to grey rot.

Question 42

What is cliquage?

Answer 42

A variant of micro-oxygenation (which happens during fermentation), it involves small doses of oxygen applied to the wine in barrel periodically throughout elevage.