French/EU Wine Law Flashcards
How do the French label their wine?
By reference to where the grapes are grown (terroir).
What is the AOC?
Appellation d/Origine Controlee.
A system created by the INAO in 1935 in response to widespread fraud in the wine industry.
The system set forth a detailed set of regulations.
What is the INAO?
Institut National d l’Origine et de la qualite.
A government based organization that was created to restore confidence in the country’s wine industry.
In what year was legislation enacted to prevent the misrepresentation of products?
1905
In what year did Baron Le Roy and other producers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape band together and create a set of rules for viticulture for the region?
1923
What was the purpose of the AOP?
Appellation d’Origine Protegee.
Established in 2009 as a European Union wine-quality designation in order to achieve more uniform standards.
What are the two quality categories of the AOP?
Wines with geographic indication and wines without.
What are the AOC/AOP Quality Levels?
Vin de France– 20% of all French Wine
IGP/Vin de Pays– 30% of all French Wine
AOC/AOP – 50% of all French Wine
Vin de France
Wines without geographic indication.
20% of all French Wine
Least restrictive, higher yields, no specific origin allowed on label
Variety/vintage allowed on label, oak chips allowed for aging.
IGP/Vin de Pays
30% of all French Wine
74 delimited regions (regional, departmental, and zones)
Fewer restrictions, hybrids allowed, can be varietally labeled
85% of fruit must originate from stated geographic region
AOC/AOP
50% of all French Wine
Highest/most exacting designation.
Boundaries precisely defined/regulated (can be large or small areas)
Grape/varieties are strictly regulated (where, yield, vine training, etc.)
Wine making technique is also regulated (aging, sugar, etc.)
100% grapes must come from stated AOC/AOP
