French wine laws 5

AOC regions of France have strict controls in place to protect the reputation of the region. For instance, only very specific grape varieties can be used, certain ways of trellising a vine are required or only hand harvesting can be done. Much of this is based on tradition which has taken many years of knowledge to perfect. The understanding of the climate, soils and grape varieties that are grown in a region have created some of the most celebrated wines in the world.

The Vin de Pays of France is being replaced with the EU term ‘Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP = same as PGI) and are usually larger areas than the AOC. Sometimes an AOC will be within the boundaries of an IGP meaning the producer can choose to make wines under stricter controls of the AOC or plant other wines and use the IGP rules instead. Sometimes, producers will do both to maximise profits. The IGP wines are often thought of as being lower quality so dont sell for the same high prices as an AOC wine, whereas the producer will be able to produce more IGP wines.

Vin de France on a label means that the grapes were grown outside of an AOC or IGP or do not meet any of the controls these designations require. For example, the grape variety may not be allowed in either wine or the grapes may be sourced from more than one region. However, it is not possible to plant grapes anywhere in France to protect other important agricultural land from being lost. The Vin de France catergory gives producers new opportunities to mix grapes from different parts of France in the same wine. You can also mix in grape varieties that are not allowed within the AOC system. For example, using Syrah in a “Bordeaux blend” produced in Bordeaux, but in such a case it is strictly forbidden to put “Bordeaux” on the label.