Appellation d'origine contrôlée, or “controlled appellation of origin”, is a certification given to specific agricultural areas with the intent of protecting the consistency and quality of the items they produce. Regulating agricultural products has been in place in France since 1411, when a parliamentary ruling standardized the manufacture of Roquefort cheese. In 1935, it extended to wine with the creation of the Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO). Apart from imposing geographic limits, these rules establish the grape varieties that can be planted in a specific area, viticultural practices, permitted yield per hectare, ageing requirements, alcohol contents, labeling terms, among others. There over 350 AOC for wine production, with Châteauneuf-du-Pape being the first delineated region. An appellation can be as big as Côtes du Rhône, which covers about 75,000 acres of land, or as small as Château-Grillet, with less than 10 acres and only one established winery. If you wish to know where your French wine comes from, look for the words “appellation” or “AOC” on the label.
Author: Maytte Rivera
