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 […]
French winemaking started in the 6th century BC after the Greek settlers colonized Southern Gaul. However, it was the Romans who planted vines in all the major wine regions in the 300s. Since then, the French wine industry continued to flourish – until mildew and Phylloxera spread in the 19th century, and entire vineyards had […]
The concept of terroir has been confused by some players in the market, such that a wine region is sometimes loosely referred to as terroir. However the terroir actually refers to the environmental factors, including soil, climate, and altitude, in which grapes are grown. All these terroir factors combine to give a wine it’s unique […]
An appellation is a legally defined area where grapes are grown. In France, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC system, strictly regulated the grape varieties that can be used in each appellation, minimum alcohol levels, how densely you can plant a vineyard, and how much it can yield. In 2012, it was replaced by the […]
