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Appellation d’Origine Protégée

New designation AOP valid in France for the highest wine quality level "wines of protected origin", which corresponds to a quality wine or PDO (protected origin). The reason for this was the new EU wine market regulation that came into force in August 2009. This means that an origin-controlled quality system is now mandatory throughout the EU, which divides wines into two classes, namely without and with an indication of origin. However, the old traditional designation AOC may continue to be used. The VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) category introduced in 1949, which had been regarded as a precursor to AOC, was cancelled without replacement. The production conditions had to be prepared according to AOP standards and the link to the terroir had to be proven. Only then was a higher classification to AOP possible.

Appellation d’Origine Protégée - Logos

The change from controlled to protected means a much more far-reaching and transparent set of rules than the previous system. An independent control organisation checks whether a wine complies with the specifications for the respective appellation, which are specific to each appellation. The controls cover the entire production chain, from the barrel to the bottle. The appellation then applies not only to a specific tank, but to the entire winery. The link to the terroir is therefore even more important than before with AOC. There are three levels: AOP Cru (wines from a vineyard, site or parcel), AOP communal (municipality) and AOP regional (region).

History

Two far-sighted men in particular laid the foundations. The first was Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié (1890-1967), who, as the owner of Château Fortia in the southern Rhône, defined an area in the 1920s that was particularly suitable for 10 (later 13) grape varieties and wine due to the prevailing climate and soil type. After long endeavours, the boundaries were finally defined in 1929, but it was not until 1935 that the area was classified as Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This was also a decisive impetus for the term terroir. The second proponent was the professor of agriculture Joseph Capus (1867-1947). He took the "cheese scandal" as an opportunity to denounce the common practice in Bordeaux of producing wine from any grape and using any method. Under his influence, the law was expanded in 1927 to include specifications for winemaking. These stipulated, among other things, that only those grape varieties sanctified by loyal, long-established local custom could be used. Capus thus pointed the way forward and is therefore considered the godfather of the appellation law, which is still referred to today as "la loi capus".

It gradually included the authorised methods regarding pruning, maximum yield, ripeness of the grapes and vinification methods in the cellar. In 1935, the "Comité National des Appellations d'Origine" was founded on the initiative of Capus and Boiseaumarié. This was the forerunner of the INAO, which was founded after the Second World War. Since then, it has been the regulating and managing supreme authority of French viticulture with its headquarters in Paris and regional committees, which defines, decrees and controls the appellations in the various quality levels for over 100,000 wine producers. Each group of wine producers can or must submit an application if they wish to be awarded an appellation. Justification, proof of the traditional use of the desired name, information about the terroir and its influence on production and economic details about markets, potential sales, as well as prices and price comparisons with similar products must be provided.

Introduction of the system

The appellation system was officially introduced in France after the First World War. It was subsequently also introduced in Italy, Portugal and Spain, which is why it is also known as the "Romanesque wine law". However, the first attempts to clearly demarcate areas and define them according to origin had already been made much earlier and also in other countries, such as Italy for Chianti and Portugal for port wine.

The main reasons for a state-led and nationwide regulation in France lie in the second half of the 19th century. Within just 50 years, the three major plagues of powdery mildew, downy mildew and phylloxera introduced from America had severely affected and devastated not only the vineyards of France, but the whole of Europe. In the renowned wine-growing regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, there was a quantitative and, above all, qualitative decline. In Languedoc and in the then French department of Algeria, cheap mass-produced wines were produced. These were also used for large-scale wine adulteration, among other things. The French government therefore began to enact a series of wine laws in the first two decades of the 20th century in order to protect itself.

The first areas to be defined included Banyuls, Bordeaux, Champagne and Clairette de Die. However, quality requirements were not yet included. The first definition of the Champagne region in 1908 led to major differences of opinion, disputes and even unrest. At that time, however, the system did not yet exist and Champagne was not classified as AC until 1927. After the end of the First World War, the French government adopted the Appellation Contrôlée system. This set of laws stipulated a locally defined and controlled origin and production methods for agricultural products and foodstuffs. The first product was Roquefort, which was recognised as having a precisely defined production area in the mountains of the Aveyron department in the south of France. However, it had been forgotten to specify that the cheese had to be made from sheep's milk (and not cow's milk). This led to the great "cheese scandal", which also influenced the wine laws.

Appellation regulations

The appellation system assumes, so to speak, that all winegrowers in an appellation can produce wine of the same quality, but there are of course differences in quality. Although this is checked by regular quality controls, the location always takes precedence over personal ability. The place of birth therefore determines the quality, regardless of whether the vintage is better or worse. Conversely, a wine that has not grown in a privileged location should never be labelled with its place of birth, no matter how good the wine is. However, the market has its own laws, it does recognise certain producers as being of better quality, so that this results in a certain degree of regulation. This is similar to Italy, where IGT wines labelled as Super Tuscans often outperform wines classified as DOCG.

There are around 480 AOP wines, which make up around 40% of the French vineyard area and produce around 30% of the wines. The Armagnac and Cognac brandies and the Calvados apple brandy are also labelled as AOP. In addition, there are other quality terms that are not valid nationwide but vary from wine-growing region to wine-growing region. See Bordeaux classification, Burgundy classification and Grand Cru.

Provenance = origin

The basis and most important criterion of the appellation system. By official decree, the origin of the wine is clearly declared, after which it is also named on the label. This can be an area, a municipality or a location. All municipalities are listed individually, although there may also be cases within municipal boundaries where only certain parts are authorised. Depending on the circumstances, the rest must then be marketed under a different appellation, as Vin de France or IGP (Landwein; formerly Vin de pays). An appellation is not limited to any size; there are some with vineyards covering several thousand hectares. The smallest with 0.83 hectares is the famous Grand Cru site La Romanée in Burgundy, the second smallest with 3.5 hectares is Château-Grillet on the Rhône. It can happen that the entire vineyard area is owned by a single wine estate, which is known as a monopole. One of the rare examples is the aforementioned Château-Grillet, which is cultivated exclusively by Château Grillet (without the hyphen). However, if the château's ownership increases, the appellation does not automatically expand.

Grape varieties

The types of wine are defined for each appellation. Red wine and/or white wine and/or rosé wine with the authorised or permitted grape varieties. There are usually no more than three or four that are particularly suitable for the soil type. However, there can also be more, an extreme case being Châteauneuf-du-Pape with 13 authorised varieties (not all of which have to be used, of course). Every single authorised variety is listed. Minimum and maximum percentages are also defined, either per variety and/or in groups. In many red wine appellations, a small number of white wine varieties are also authorised.

Vineyard care

There are specifications regarding pruning (with the number of eyes, for example in Champagne), planting density per hectare and type of vine training. Some appellations also stipulate whether artificial irrigation is permitted and to what extent.

Degree of ripeness of the grapes and alcohol content

Specific must weights in g/l sugar are defined for fresh grapes after harvesting before any enrichment ( chaptalisation in France) of the grape must. Minimum and, in some cases, maximum alcohol content values are prescribed. The specifications may be flexibly changed or adjusted in years of insufficient ripeness.

Yield

There are several terms that need to be seen in context. The authorised yield is known as the yield de base (basic yield). It was last redefined in 1984, but is now less important than it used to be. The much more important term is Rendement annuel (annual yield). The producers of the individual appellations submit proposals to the INAO that take into account the conditions prevailing in the year in question. The value can be either higher or lower than the rendement de base.

The Plafond limite de classement (PLC) is a fixed percentage, usually 20%, set by appellation which, when offset against the Rendement annuel, results in the maximum authorised yield for the year in question. The PLC can be claimed by individual producers, in which case all wines must undergo a sensory test. Anything above this must be sent for distillation.

Vinification

The type of vinification and the methods permitted are precisely defined for the type of wine corresponding to the appellation. These include regulations regarding destemming, type of maceration such as saignée, type of fermentation, required cuvée and, in the case of spirits, type of distillation. However, the relatively imprecise "usages locaux" (according to local custom) is often specified.

Quality testing

In 1974, analytical and sensory testing of wines was introduced, the positive results of which are a prerequisite for marketing.

Production quantities

Regulations regarding the submission of declarations by producers on the production volume of each vintage and on the stocks still available on 31 August.

Logos: From Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité, 75008 Paris - INAO, Logo, Link

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