The French Wine Laws
The production of wine in France is
tightly controlled by two organisations. The Instituit
National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). This body
succeeded the Comite' National des Appellations d'Origine
after World War II and controls the hierachy of French
quality wines. The other is the Service de Repression
des Fraudes, which is responsible for seeing that
the very complicated laws on wine production are carried
out. On the French domestic market, every bottle carries
a capsule conge', or capsule with the goverment seal
on it showing that the relevant tax has been paid.
It also shows the wine's quality status.
France has two grades of QWPSR;
Appellation Controlee and Vin Delimite
de Qualite Superieure,
and two of Table Wine;
Vin de Pays and Vin de Table.
Quality
Wine
Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AC
or AOC)
This is the highest level that a French
wine can attain. Though the requirements may vary
widely from one region to another, they are the most
tightly defined and the following point will always
feature.
- Areas of Production - the boundaries of which are
based on the composition of the soil.
- Grape varieties permitted - the principal being
that in the words of an earlier decree, these should
be 'hallowed by local, local and established custom'.
- Viticultural practices - planting distances, pruning
methods and general handling of the vine.
- The maximum permitted yield per hectare.
- Vinification methods, including ageing.
- The minimum alcoholic degree in the wine which must
be achieved without must-enrichment.
- Within each region there is a laid down hierarchy
of appellations which, in general are geographical
based. The more specific the geographic description,
the higher the appellation, and the stricter the regualtions.
In some areas an individual vineyard may be eligible
for several ACs of different quality levels.
- Some regional and district appellations have the
right to the additional qualification superieur e.g.
Bordeaux Superieur, Macon Superieur. These wines simply
have an extra half or full degree of alcohol compared
with the equivalent basic appellation.
Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure (VDQS)
This classification was established in 1949 as a stepping
stone to Appellation Controlee, and many wine originally
classified as VDQS have subsequently moved to the higher
level.
The laws cover the same ground as for AC wines but
are often less stringent on yields and grape varieties.
In on aspect, however, the VDQS laws were initially
stricter. The right to the VDQS label was only granted
after an official tasting. Now this requirement has
been extended to AC wines as well.
Table
Wine
Vin de Pays
This classification was established by decree in September
1979 partly as a result of an initiative on the part
of the wine trade, which wanted to give added value
to certain vins de table. At the same time, a broader
objective was to upgrade the quality and sharply reduce
the quantity of bulk wine being produced in areas such
as the midi.
A wine must meet four qualifications to be eligible
for this category:
- Area of production - This can be regional, for example
Vin de Pays d'Oc, which covers four departements.
It can be that of a departement, such as Vine de Pays
de l'Aude, or it can be zonal within the same departement,
such as Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Peyriac.
- Grape Varieties - For each Vin de Pays there is
a recommneded list of grape-varietes. Generally, this
will be much broader than for a local AC or VDQS wine,
enabling the grower to introduce classic varieties
from other regions.
- Yields - The maximum permitted yield is 90hl/ha,
though in some areas this has been reduced to 80hl/ha.
- Analytical Standards - Amongst other things, this
includes the minimum natural alcoholic strength of
9% vol. in the north and 10% vol. in the south, and
maximum suplhur and volatile acidity levels.
Vins de Table
Forty per cent of the wine produced in France falls
into this category. Vins de table can be produced anywhere
in the country with no restriction as to the grape variety,
though the wine may not be chaptalised. No maximum yield
is stipulated, but a proportion of production over 10hl/ha
must be sent for distillation and the greater the over-production,
the lower the price paid per hectolitre for distilling
wine.
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