French Wine Laws

Front 1

French wine laws, two organisations + extra

Back 1

INAO , Service de Repression des Fraudes, Office National Interprofessionel des Vins de Table

Hint 1

None

Front 2

Service de Repression des Fraudes

Back 2

application of laws on wine production

Front 3

ONIVINS

Back 3

Office National Interprofessionel des Vins de Table => controls all French table wines

Front 4

QWPSR : two levels?

Back 4

AOC/AC Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, VDQSR: Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure

Front 5

AOC requirements

Back 5

1 Areas of production

Front 6

INAO

Back 6

This body succeeded the Comite' National des Appellations d'Origine after World War II and controls the hierachy of French quality wines.

Front 7

two grades of table wine

Back 7

Vins de Pays, Vins de Table

Front 8

Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AC or AOC): requirements

Back 8

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.

Front 9

Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure (VDQS), established when and why?

Back 9

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.

Front 10

VDQS : requirements

Back 10

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.

Front 11

Vin de Pays, when and why

Back 11

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.

Front 12

A wine must meet four qualifications to be eligible for Vin de Pays:

Back 12

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.

Front 13

Vins de Table

Back 13

Vins de Table

thirty 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 100hl/ha must be sent for distillation and the greater the over-production, the lower the price paid per hectolitre for distilling wine.
No region, grape variety or vintage may be stated, wines may not be chaptilised, price is usually based on alcoholic strength.

Front 14

4 major multi-departmental Vins de Pays?

Back 14

Vin de Pays d'Oc (covering all of Languedoc and Roussillon), Vin de Pays des Comtés Rhodaniens (Rhône Valley and Alps,), Vin de Pays du jardin de la France (Loire Valley and tributaries), Vin de Pays du Comté Tolosan (south-west France excl. Bordeaux region)

Front 15

3 levels of Vins de Pays

Back 15

4 multi departmental VDP, 54 departmental VDP, many regional VDP

Front 16

departmental Vins de Pays?

Back 16

54 bv. Vin de Pays des Pyrénées-Orientales. Excluded from this level are : Alsace, Champagne, Côte d'Or, Beaujolais and Bordeaux