The "Institut National de l'Origine et de la qualité" (National Institute for Origin and Quality) is a state institution in France with its headquarters in Paris, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture (but the acronym is also interpreted as "Institut National des Appellations d'Origine des Vins et Eaux-de-Vie"). It is responsible for the supervision of food produced in the mother country. For this purpose, standards were developed that guarantee the origin and quality to the consumer through appropriate labelling. Wine, brandy(Armagnac and Cognac) and various foodstuffs (cheese, meat, vegetables, etc.) are included in this quality assurance. This concerns the following labels or quality classes:
- AOC - Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée - used for wine
- AOP - Appellation d'Origine Protégée - used for wine
- IGP - Indication Géographique Protégée - used for wine
- STG - Spécialité traditionnelle garantie (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed)
- AB - Agriculture Biologique (organic farming) - used for wine
- Label Rouge - EU label classified as a quality label in France
The authority with regard to wine is responsible for the administration, regulation, application processing, recognition, control and protection of the two highest French quality levels IGP (country wine) and AOP or AOC (quality wine) (see also in detail under quality system). In addition, the INAO has also taken on sovereign tasks of European wine policy within the European Union. In 1935, through the initiatives of the professor of agriculture Joseph Capus (1867-1947) and the vineyard owner Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié (1890-1967), the "Comité National des Appellations d'Origine" was founded as a permanent body of experts. This was the forerunner of the INAO, which, however, only came into being in its present form after the Second World War (1939-1945). The two had already been instrumental in the creation of the French Appellation d'Origine Protégée system of origin in the late 1920s. Boiseaumarié was president of the INAO for two decades, from 1947 to 1967.
In 1990, the INAO's remit was extended to include protection against domestic and foreign imitations. The INAO defined as a possible goal to prohibit in principle the indication of grape varieties on the label in order to give even more expression to the terroir idea and to give French wine an even greater distinctiveness compared to foreign competition. Incidentally, all the appellation decrees (regulations) of the INAO with the entire history can be viewed in detail on the website. The INAO has also developed a special tasting glass. See also the two authorities INRAE and OIV, which are also responsible for viticultural matters.
Logos: From Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité,
75008 Paris - INAO, Logo, Link
