The Categories of French Wine

1. Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), now AOP.

2. Appellation d’Origine Vin De Qualité Supérieure (AOVDQS): This falls just below AOC wines in the hierarchy. It has rules and regulations similar to AOC in terms of grape variety, amount of production, and winemaking processes.

3. Vin de pays: All the “country wines” that don’t fall under AOC appellation rules come under this category. It only has lenient rules for grape type and production methods.

4. Vin de table: “Table wines” come under this lowest category of French wines. There are no rules governing vineyard management or winemaking. You won’t see any grape varietals, vintage, or appellations listed on their wine labels.